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CALIFORNIA 
FISH-GAME 


California  Fish  and  Game  is  a  journal  devoted  to  the  conservation  and 
understanding  of  wildlife.  If  its  contents  are  reproduced  elsewhere,  the  authors 
and  the  California  Department  of  Fish  and  Game  would  appreciate  being 
acknowledged. 

Subscriptions  may  be  obtained  at  the  rate  of  $10  per  year  by  placing  an  order 
with  the  California  Department  of  Fish  and  Game,  1416  Ninth  Street, 
Sacramento,  CA  95814.  Money  orders  and  checks  should  be  made  out  to 
California  Department  of  Fish  and  Game.  Inquiries  regarding  paid  subscriptions 
should  be  directed  to  the  Editor. 


Complimentary  subscriptions  are  granted  on  an  exchange  basis. 


Please  direct  correspondence  to: 

Perry  L  Herrgesell,  Ph.D.,  Editor 
California  Fish  and  Game 
1416  Ninth  Street 
Sacramento,  CA  95814 


u 


D 


V 


VOLUME  72 


JANUARY  1986 


NUMBER  1 


Published  Quarterly  by 

STATE  OF  CALIFORNIA 

THE  RESOURCES  AGENCY 

DEPARTMENT  OF  FISH  AND  GAME 

—IDA— 


STATE  OF  CALIFORNIA 
GEORGE  DEUKMEJIAN,  Governor 


THE  RESOURCES  AGENCY 
GORDON  VAN  VLECK,  Secretary  for  Resources 


FISH  AND  GAME  COMMISSION 

BRIAN  J.  KAHN,  President 
Santa  Rosa 
ABEL  C.  GALLETTI.  Vice  President  WILLIAM  A.  BURKE,  Ed.D,  Member 

Los  Angeles  Brentwood 

ROBERT  BRYANT,  Member  ALBERT  C.  TAUCHER,  Member 

Yuba  City  Long  Beach 

HAROLD  C.  CRIBBS 
Executive  Secretary 


DEPARTMENT  OF  FISH  AND  GAME 

JACK  C.  PARNELL,  Director 

1416  9th  Street 
Sacramento  95814 


CALIFORNIA  FISH  AND  GAME 

Editorial  Staff 

Editorial  staff  for  this  issue  consisted  of  the  following: 

Wildlife William  E.  Grenfell,  Jr. 

Anadromous  Fish Kenneth  A.  Hashagen,  Jr. 

Marine  Resources  Robert  N.  Lea,  Ph.D. 

Striped  Bass Donald  E.  Stevens 

Editor-in-Chief Perry  L.  Herrgesell,  Ph.D. 


CONTENTS 


Page 


Population  Characteristics  of  Pacific  Herring,  Clupea  harengus 

pallasi,  in  Humboldt  Bay,  California Douglas  J.  Rabin 

and  Roger  A.  Bamhart        4 

The  Striped  Bass  Sport  Fishery  in  the  Sacramento-San  Joaquin 

Estuary,  1969-1979  James  R.  White      17 

Food  of  Juvenile  Chinook,  Oncorhynchus  tshawytscha, 
and  Coho,  O.  kisutch,  Salmon  off  the  Northern  Oregon 
and  Southern  Washington  Coasts,  May-September  1980 

Robert  L.  Emmett, 

David  R.  Miller  and  Theodore  H.  Blahn      38 

Line-Transect  Censuses  of  Fallow  and  Black-Tailed  Deer  on 

the  Point  Reyes  Peninsula  Peter  J. P.  Gogan, 

Steven  C.  Thompson  and  Reginald  H.  Barrett      47 

Notes 

Utilization  by  Salt  Marsh  Harvest  Mice, 

Reithrodontomys  raviventris  halicoetes,  of  a 

Non-Pickleweed  Marsh   Fred  Botti, 

Dee  Warenycia  and  Dennis  Becker      62 
A  Method  for  the  Efficient  Removal  of  Juvenile  Saimonid 

Otoliths Brian  D.  Winter      63 


4  CALIFORNIA  FISH  AND  GAME 

Calif.  Fish  and  Came  72(1 ):  4-16     1986 

POPULATION  CHARACTERISTICS  OF  PACIFIC  HERRING, 
CLUPEA  HARENGUS  PALLASl,  IN  HUMBOLDT  BAY, 

CALIFORNIA  1 

DOUGLAS  J.  RABIN  2  AND  ROGER  A.  BARNHART 

California  Cooperative  Fishery  Research  Unit 

Humboldt  State  University 

Areata,  California     95521 

Population  characteristics  of  Pacific  herring,  Clupea  harengus  pallasi,  were 
determined  for  spawning  stocks  in  Humboldt  Bay.  Fecundity  was  estimated  to  be 
220  ±35  eggs  per  gram.  Biomass  of  hearring  was  estimated  to  be  372  tons  (237mt) 
in  1974-75  and  232  tons  (210mt)  in  1975-76.  Spawning  occurred  from  early  December 
to  early  March  both  years,  primarily  in  north  Humboldt  Bay.  Two-  and  three-year-old 
herring  accounted  for  about  46%  and  57%  by  number  respectively  for  the  1974-75 
and  75-76  spawning  stocks. 

INTRODUCTION 

In  1972,  Japan  removed  its  import  quota  on  herring  roe  which  stimulated  the 
market  for  herring  and  encouraged  development  of  herring  fisheries  from 
California  to  Alaska.  The  present  study  was  designed  to  obtain  information 
needed  for  management  of  the  Humboldt  Bay  herring  fishery. 

The  biology  of  Pacific  herring,  Clupea  harengus  pallasi,  has  been  extensively 
studied  for  more  than  half  a  century  (Rounsefell  1930,  Taylor  1964, 
Blankenbeckler  1978,  Spratt  1981).  Pacific  herring  spawning  grounds  extend 
from  southern  California  along  the  North  Pacific  rim  to  Japan.  Spawning  occurs 
in  inshore  waters,  bays,  and  estuaries,  beginning  in  the  late  fall  in  California  and 
lasting  up  to  four  months. 

When  herring  schools  move  into  shallow  inshore  waters,  they  become  highly 
vulnerable  to  commercial  fisheries.  Fishery  managers  must  know  when 
spawning  occurs  and  where  spawning  schools  are  located  to  regulate  the  fishery. 
The  objectives  of  the  present  study  were  (i)  record  the  time  and  distribution  of 
herring  spawning  in  Humboldt  Bay  for  two  seasons,  (ii)  estimate  biomass  of  the 
spawning  population  and  of  the  spawning  substrate,  and  (iii)  determine  age 
structure,  maturity,  and  sex  ratio  of  adult  herring  in  Humboldt  Bay.  A  concurrent 
studv  determined  the  fecundity  of  Humboldt  Bay  herring  (Rabin  and  Barnhart 
1977). 

DESCRIPTION  OF  STUDY  AREA 
The  22.4  km-long  Humboldt  Bay  is  about  144  km  south  of  the 
California-Oregon  border  (Figure  1).  It  is  a  marine  embayment  having  small 
localizaed  habitats  with  true  estuarine  characteristics  (U.S.  Army  Corps  of 
Engineers  1976).  Skeesick  (1963)  presented  an  extensive  description  of  the 
physical  and  chemical  characteristics  of  Humboldt  Bay. 


1  Part  of  a  thesis  submitted  by  the  senior  author  to  Humboldt  State  University  in  partial  fulfillment  of  a  Master  of 

Science  degree. 

2  Mr.  Rabin's  present  address  is:  P.O.  Box  342,  Kirkland,  Washington     98033.  Accepted  for  publication  March 

1985. 


POPULATION  CHARACTERISTICS  OF  PACIFIC  HERRING 


ARCATA 


PAC  I  F I  C 

OCEAN 


MAP   LOCATION 


FIGURE  1.     Map  of  Humboldt  Bay,  California 


Large  beds  of  eelgrass,  Zostera  marina,  grow  from  mud  flats  that  characterize 
north  and  south  Humboldt  Bay  (Figures  2  and  3).  Harding,  Butler,  and  Heft 
(1975)  estimated  that  the  north  and  south  bays  had  4.35  X  10 6  m  2  and  8.86  X 
1 0 6  m  2  of  eegrass,  respectively.  Mud  flats  and  eelgrass  beds  are  exposed  at  most 
minus  tides  and  are  divided  by  a  network  of  narrow  channels.  Distribution  of 
eelgrass  is  limited  primarily  to  shallow  mud  flat  areas  due  to  high  water  turbidity 
and  tidal  scouring  along  channel  edges.  Eelgrass  is  the  primary  herring  spawning 
substrate  in  Humboldt  Bay. 


CALIFORNIA  FISH  AND  CAME 


PAC I F I C 
OCEAN 


|.Vv.::-'--|   EELGRASS 

A- I     SPAWNING  LOCATIONS 


% 


ARCATA 


% 


%i 


°">  i 


MUD 


MUD 


METERS 


_i 


1000 


2000 


NORTH  HUMBOLDT  BAY 


FIGURE  2.     Map  of  north  Humboldt  Bay  at  0-tide.  Stippled  areas  indicate  eelgrass  distribution  for 
winters  1974-75  and  1975-76. 

HISTORY  OF  FISHERY 

The  Bay  has  supported  a  relatively  small  bait  and  commercial  herring  fishery 
for  over  50  years.  A  total  of  about  630 1  of  herring  were  harvested  from  1 926-76; 
the  largest  annual  catch,  63  t  was  taken  in  1943.  There  were  no  commercial 
landings  of  herring  in  1965-72.  In  1975  and  1976,  1  and  11  t  respectively,  were 
caught  under  temporary  state  legislation  allowing  a  winter  harvest  of  20  t.  The 
state  increased  the  harvest  quota  to  50  t  in  1977  and  the  quota  was  approached 
each  year  from  1979  through  1981  and  exceeded  in  1982  (Table  1 ).  The  quota 
was  increased  to  60  t  in  1983. 

METHODS  AND  MATERIALS 

Fish  Sampling 
Herring  were  caught  in  1974-75  with  a  variable  mesh  sinking  nylon  gill  net, 
38.1  by  1.8  m  with  equal  lengths  of  1.3,  1.9,  2.5,  3.2  and  3.8  cm  bar  mesh.  The 
net  was  allowed  to  soak  no  more  than  10  min  per  set  in  areas  where  birds  and 


POPULATION  CHARACTERISTICS  OF  PACIFIC  HERRING 


seals  were  actively  feeding.  During  1975-76  a  60.9  by  6.1  m  beach  seine  was 
used  for  sampling  and  a  recording  fathometer  used  to  locate  the  fish. 

The  following  data  were  recorded  for  each  fish  sampled;  standard  length  in 
mm,  weight  to  the  nearest  0.1  g,  sex,  and  maturity.  Scales  were  removed  for  age 
determination.  Fish  caught  in  the  1974-75  season  were  categorized  as  being 
either  immature,  having  undeveloped  gonads,  or  mature,  with  gonads  filling  the 
body  cavity  (Bagenal  and  Braum  1971 ).  In  the  1975-76  season  mature  fish  were 
further  categorized  as  having  opaque  (ripening)  or  translucent  (ripe)  eggs. 


PACIFIC  OCEAN 


SPAWNING  LOCATIONS, 
EELGRASS 


SOUTH  HUMBOLDT  BAY 


METERS 
i 


2000 


FIGURE  3.     Map  of  south  Humboldt  Bay  at  0-tide.  Stippled  areas  indicate  eelgrass  distribution  for 
winters  1974-75  and  1975-76. 

Scales  used  for  age  determination  were  taken  from  the  area  below  and  anteri- 
or to  the  dorsal  fin,  then  mounted  between  two  glass  plates  and  aged  without 
reference  to  fish  length.  An  annulus  at  the  outer  edge  of  the  scale  was  assumed 
on  scales  of  herring  caught  during  the  spawning  season.  For  example,  a  herring 
hatched  in  January  1974  and  caught  in  January  1976  was  considered  a  2-year- 
old,  although  showing  only  one  annulus  inside  the  scale  margin. 


8  CALIFORNIA  FISH  AND  CAME 

TABLE  1.     Pacific  Herring  Landings,  Humboldt  Bay,  California.  1974-1983. 

*  Landings Quota 

Year  Tons  Pounds  (tons) 

1974 0.2  500  20 

1975 1.0  2,000  20 

1976 11.6  23,134  20 

1977 21.5  42,949  50 

1978 11.7  23,417  50 

1979 49.4  98,831  50 

1980 49.5  98,981  50 

1981  43.0  85,920  50 

1982 51.6  103,280  50 

1983 9.5  18,980  60 

•  Ron  Warner,  California  Department  of  Fish  and  Came  Eureka,  Ca.  (pers.  comm.). 

Spawn  Surveying 

Time,  distribution,  and  density  of  spawns  were  determined  for  the  winters  of 
1974-75  and  1975-76.  From  late  November  to  late  March,  daily  surveys  of 
eelgrass  beds  were  conducted,  alternating  days  between  north  and  south  Hum- 
boldt Bay.  Surveying  was  done  from  a  5  m  flat  bottom  boat.  Two  garden  rakes, 
wired  back  to  back  and  attached  to  the  boat  with  a  10  m  rope,  were  used  to 
uproot  eelgrass  and  examine  it  for  attached  eggs.  The  rake  was  used  to  outline 
spawning  areas  with  the  aid  of  buoys,  duck  blinds,  and  other  landmarks  as 
reference  points.  We  installed  5  m  wood  poles  as  additional  channel  markers 
to  facilitate  surveying  at  higher  tides. 

The  modified  rake  was  randomly  cast  from  a  boat  in  a  spwaning  area  to  obtain 
3-16  samples  of  100-400  g  of  eelgrass  on  which  eggs  had  been  deposited  in 
order  to  calculate  mean  number  of  eggs  per  kg  of  eelgrass.  The  size  of  the 
spawning  area  and  density  of  egg  deposition  determined  the  number  of  samples 
collected.  After  roots  were  removed,  each  sample  was  placed  in  a  plastic  bag, 
brought  to  the  laboratory,  rinsed  clean  of  sediment,  and  allowed  to  drain.  Leaves 
were  weighed  to  the  nearest  0.1  g  and  preserved  in  10%  formalin.  Eggs  in  each 
sample  were  hand  counted  and  mean  number  of  eggs  per  kg  of  eelgrass  was 
estimated  for  each  spawning  area. 

Fish  sometimes  spawned  two  or  more  times  in  areas  that  already  contained 
unhatched  eggs.  Even  though  the  first  spawn  had  already  been  measured  and 
sampled  it  was  difficult  to  determine  the  extent  of  overlap  and  relative  density 
of  the  more  recent  egg  deposition.  In  such  instances  water  temperature  and  egg 
development  were  monitored  and  hatching  time  for  the  first  spawn  was  predict- 
ed according  to  Alderdice  and  Velson  (1971 )  and  Taylor  (1971 ).  After  the  first 
eggs  hatched,  the  more  recently  deposited  eggs  were  measured  and  sampled  as 
a  single  unit.  The  estimates  were  calculated  and  reported  as  separate  spawns. 

Mean  weight/m2  of  eelgrass  was  obtained  by  sampling  eelgrass  during  day- 
time minus  tides  in  February  and  March.  A  0.15  m2  hoop  was  cast  randomly  in 
areas  where  spawning  occurred.  Eelgrass  rooted  within  the  hoop  was  cut  to 
exclude  the  roots  and  bagged.  Samples  were  brought  to  the  laboratory,  rinsed 
clean  of  sediment,  drained,  and  weighed  to  the  nearest  0.1  g.  Mean  weight/m2 
values  were  derived  each  winter  for  areas  having  light  and  medium  eelgrass 
growth,  as  classified  by  Harding  (1973). 


POPULATION  CHARACTERISTICS  OF  PACIFIC  HERRING  9 

Number  of  kilograms  of  eelgrass  on  which  eggs  were  laid  was  determined  by 
multiplying  the  spawning  area  in  m  2  by  mean  weight  of  eelgrass  per  m2  within 
the  same  area.  We  used  a  polar  planimeter  and  Coast  and  Geodetic  Survey  chart 
of  Humboldt  Bay  to  measure  the  previously  outlined  spawning  area. 

Fecundity 
The  mean  number  of  eggs  per  gram  of  fish  was  derived  from  a  concurrent 
fecundity  study  of  Humboldt  Bay  herring  (Rabin  and  Barnhart  1977).  We  deter- 
mined the  mean  number  of  eggs  per  gram  of  female  herring  to  be  220  ±  35 
(95%  CI)  for  ages  2-9. 

Biomass  Estimation 
Biomass  of  herring  in  each  spawning  school  was  determined  by  the  following 
equation: 

B  C 


D 


where: 


A   =   grams  of  fish  spawning 

B   =   kilograms  eelgrass  on  which  eggs  were  deposited 

C   =   mean  number  of  eggs  per  kilogram  of  eelgrass 

D   =mean  number  of  eggs  per  gram  of  spawning  adults  (sexes  combined) 
Confidence  limits  of  final  biomass  estimates  were  calculated  from  the  com- 
bined variance  for  eggs/kg  eelgrass  of  all  samples  taken  for  the  respective 
season. 

The  sex  ratio  of  adult  herring  in  both  years  did  not  differ  significantly  from  1:1, 
therefore,  the  value  (D)  used  for  fish  biomass  computations  was  220/2  or  110 
eggs  per  gram  of  herring  for  both  sexes. 

RESULTS 

Age  and  Growth  Relationships 

During  January  and  early  February  1975,  herring  were  caputured  near  spawn- 
ing areas  Ui>ing  a  variable-mesh  gill  net.  In  1976  a  beach  seine  was  used  to 
capture  herring.  Adult  herring,  2  to  1 1  years  old,  were  found  in  the  spawning 
populations  in  both  years.  For  1974-75  and  1975-76,  respective  mean  lengths 
ranged  from  157  to  230  mm  and  166  to  223  mm,  and  mean  weights  from  63  to 
195  g  and  79  to  178  g  (Table  2).  Two-years-olds  from  the  1975-76  catch  were 
markedly  longer  and  heavier  than  2-year-olds  from  the  1974-75  catch.  Length 
overlapped  considerably  among  all  adjacent  age  groups  (Figure  4).  Two-  and 
three-year-old  herring  far  outnumbered  all  other  age  groups  (Figure  5)  but  were 
not  distinguishable  by  length  alone  (Figure  6). 

Ages  2  and  3,  combined,  accounted  for  57.1%  by  number  and  43.8%  by 
weight  offish  spawning  in  1975-76  (Table  2).  No  young  of  the  year  or  yearlings 
were  taken  in  either  season. 

Maturity 

Of  408  adult  herring  examined  in  1974-75,  96%  were  mature.  All  herring 
caught  in  1975-76  were  mature;  most  (99%)  were  in  ripe  or  running  ripe 
condition. 


10 


CALIFORNIA  FISH  AND  CAME 


TABLE  2.     Year  Class  Statistics  for 

1974-75  and  1975-76. 

Season 

and  age  Year 

group  class 

1974-75 

2 1973 

3 1972 

4 1971 

5 1970 

6 1969 

7 1968 

8 1967 

9 1966 

10 1965 

11 1964 

1975-76 

2 1974 

3 1973 

4 1972 

5 1971 

6 1970 

7 1969 

8 1968 

9 1967 

10 1966 

11 1965 

1  From  gill  net  catches. 

2  From  seine  catches. 

2^0 


230 
220 


Humboldt  Bay,  Pacific  Herring  Caught  During  Winters 


210 


200 


c 

01 


\~190 


10  «-« 

%       180 
u 


170 
160 
150 

1U0 


T 


T 


T 
I 
I 
T 


I  1 


1 


Mean 

Mean 

Percent 

Percent 

standard 

weight 

mber 

number 

weight 

length  (mm) 

<g> 

75 

29.6' 

15.3 

157 

63 

42 

16.6 

14.0 

179 

103 

41 

16.2 

16.2 

190 

122 

19 

7.5 

9.4 

205 

153 

11 

4.3 

6.5 

212 

181 

19 

7.5 

10.7 

212 

173 

30 

11.9 

18.0 

218 

185 

11 

4.4 

7.0 

224 

195 

3 

1.2 

1.7 

217 

173 

2 

0.8 

1.2 

230 

191 

97 

33.6 2 

22.9 

166 

79 

68 

23.5 

20.9 

183 

102 

33 

11.4 

12.3 

197 

123 

28 

9.7 

12.1 

204 

142 

14 

4.8 

6.8 

212 

159 

10 

3.5 

5.1 

217 

168 

25 

8.7 

13.0 

219 

170 

10 

3.5 

4.9 

218 

160 

3 

1.0 

1.6 

221 

178 

1 

0.3 

0.4 

223 

153 

„  T 


T 


t  T 


1 


H  11 

I 

1 


t 
I 
1 


* 


III 


11   l  1 


I 


.  1974-75  winter  range  and  • 
"  1975-76  winter  range  and  o 


FIGURE  4. 


1  2  3  ^  5  6  7  8  9         10         II 

Age  ( Yeors) 
Age  and  length  relationships  for  Humboldt  Bay  herring  caught  during  winters  1974-75 
and  1975-76. 


POPULATION  CHARACTERISTICS  OF  PACIFIC  HERRING 


11 


kO 


30 


20 


c 

V 

u 

L. 
0> 

0. 


10 


l         23^56789       10       11 

Age    (yr) 
FIGURE  5.     Age  composition  of  289  Humboldt  Bay  herring,  January  1976. 


}k 


c 
a> 
u 

L. 

a> 


12 

10 

8 

6 


1M).5  150.5  160.5  170.5  180.5  190.5  200.5  210.5  220.5  230.5  2U0.5 

Standard  Length  (mm) 

FIGURE  6.     Length  groups  for  289  Humboldt  Bay  herring,  January  1976. 


1  2  CALIFORNIA  FISH  AND  CAME 

Eelgrass  Biomass  Estimates 

Eelgrass  biomass  estimates  for  areas  where  spawning  occurred  were  derived 
from  50  samples  taken  in  1974-75  and  71  samples  in  1975-76  (Tables  3,  4). 

Eelgrass  density  was  variable  from  year  to  year.  In  1975-76  eelgrass  biomass 
in  north  Humboldt  Bay  was  25%  less  than  in  1 974-75.  However,  areas  classified 
by  Harding  (1973)  as  having  light  eelgrass  growth  (Figure  2,  areas  A-D)  had 
more  eelgrass  biomass  each  year  than  did  Harding's  areas  of  medium  growth 
(Figure  2,  areas  E-l). 

Eelgrass  biomass  per  unit  of  area  is  typically  higher  in  south  Humboldt  Bay 
than  in  north  Humboldt  Bay  (Harding  1973).  Spawning  biomass  estimates  for 
south  Humboldt  Bay  are  conservative  because  due  to  time  constraints  we  used 
north  bay  eelgrass  density  values  in  our  calculations. 

Herring  Biomass  Estimation 

Random  samples  of  eggs  on  eelgrass  were  collected  nine  times  in  1 974-75  and 
eight  times  in  1975-76.  The  number  of  spawns  each  winter  was  greater  than  the 
number  of  sampling  dates,  judging  by  the  occurrence  of  intermittent  overlapping 
spawning.  These  intermittent  spawnings  were  observed  in  January  and  February 
of  both  seasons. 

Spawning  began  in  mid-December  and  ended  in  early  March;  about  99% 
occurred  between  December  14  and  February  14.  More  than  99%  of  the  total 
egg  deposition  was  in  north  Humboldt  Bay — 80%  in  the  eelgrass  beds  southeast 
of  Bracut  channel  (Figure  2,  Area  A). 

Estimated  Humboldt  Bay  Pacific  herring  spawning  biomass  was  372  ±8  t  in 
1974-75  and  232 ±6  t  (95%  CI)  in  1975-76.  In  addition  1  t  (0.9mt)  of  adult 
herring  was  taken  commercially  in  1974-75  and  11  t  (10mt)  were  caught  in 
1975-76  in  Humboldt  Bay  (Tables  3,  4). 

DISCUSSION 

Most  herring  spawning  took  place  in  Humboldt  Bay  during  December  through 
March,  the  same  months  in  which  spawning  occurred  in  San  Francisco  and 
Tomales  Bays,  California  (Spratt  1976,  1981 ).  Eighty  percent  of  all  spawning  in 
Humboldt  Bay  occurred  in  the  North  Bay  eelgrass  beds  nearest  the  creeks 
flowing  into  the  bay.  South  Humboldt  Bay  receives  comparatively  little  fresh 
water  and  was  practically  unused  by  herring — even  though  South  Bay  has  more 
than  twice  the  eelgrass  biomass  of  North  Bay.  Outram  (1951 )  found  that  low 
salinity  water  stimulated  herring  to  spawn  while  in  captivity.  Taylor  (1971) 
reported  that  hatching  success  decreases  with  increasing  salinity.  The  location 
of  fresh  water  inflow  apparently  influenced  the  location  of  herring  spawning  in 
Humboldt  Bay. 

Seasonal  catches  of  Humboldt  Bay  herring  did  not  exceed  12  t  (10,980  kg) 
from  1959  through  1976.  From  1979  through  1982  landings  approximated  50  t 
annually.  We  believe  that  the  population  characteristics  during  our  data  collec- 
tion period  resemble  those  of  an  unexploited  resource. 

Our  sampling  data  show  full  recruitment  of  herring  into  the  spawning  stock 
at  age  2.  Spratt  ( 1 981 ) ,  from  his  work  on  San  Francisco  and  Tomales  Bay  herring 
populations,  states  that  California  herring  enter  the  spawning  population  at  2 
years  of  age  and  by  age  3  all  herring  are  mature.  Recruitment  of  British  Columbia 


POPULATION  CHARACTERISTICS  OF  PACIFIC  HERRING 


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POPULATION  CHARACTERISTICS  OF  PACIFIC  HERRING  15 

herring  occurs  primarily  at  ages  3  and  4  (Outram  and  Hymphreys  1974).  The 
infrequency  of  spawning  checks  or  false  annuli  on  the  scales  we  examined 
indicated  that  the  herring  spawning  season  in  Humboldt  Bay  does  not  overlap 
significantly  with  the  resumption  of  growth  in  late  winter  and  spring. 

Since  seasonal  abundance  of  eelgrass  in  north  Humboldt  Bay  can  be  substan- 
tially influenced  by  water  quality  (Harding  1973),  bird  feeding  rates  (Yocum  and 
Keller  1961 ),  and  oyster  culture  (Waddell  1964),  the  annual  change  in  eelgrass 
density  we  observed  was  not  unusual.  Our  eelgrass  biomass  values  represent 
only  the  wet  weight  of  eelgrass  leaves  since  the  rhizome  is  an  inaccessible 
substrate  for  herring  eggs. 

Field  observations  indicate  that  herring  eggs  do  not  adhere  well  to  eelgrass 
coated  with  sediment  or  decaying  epiphytes.  Our  herring  biomass  estimates  are 
conservative  due  to  the  detachment  of  eggs  between  sampling  periods,  which 
Hart  and  Tester  (1934)  attribute  to  wave  action. 

Although  bird  predation  of  herring  eggs  can  account  for  high  removal  rates 
of  eggs  before  hatching  (Cleaver  and  Frannett  1946,  Outram  1958,  Steinfeld 
1972,  Spratt  1981 ),  we  believe  that  predation  was  not  a  significant  factor  in  the 
calculation  of  Humboldt  Bay  herring  biomass  estimates.  Few  to  no  bird  aggrega- 
tions were  observed  at  Humboldt  Bay  spawning  sites,  regardless  of  tidal  height. 
Spawning  intensity  was  relatively  light,  which  according  to  Spratt  (1976)  makes 
bird  predation  on  eggs  difficult. 

Our  1974-75  and  1975-76  spawning  biomass  estimates  of  372  t  (337mt)  and 
232  t  (210mt)  should  be  useful  for  management  purposes.  Humboldt  Bay  can 
sustain  a  small  commercial  herring  fishery  from  mid-December  through  March 
each  year.  North  Bay  eelgrass  beds,  the  primary  spawning  locale  of  Humboldt 
Bay  herring,  should  be  given  maximum  protection  to  insure  adequate  herring 
reproduction  in  the  bay. 

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS 
This  work  was  performed  as  part  of  NOAA  Sea  Grant  Contract  04-5-158-28, 
"Studies  on  the  biology  of  Northern  Anchovy  and  Pacific  Herring  in  Humboldt 
Bay"  under  the  direction  of  the  California  Cooperative  Fishery  Research  Unit, 
U.S.  Fish  and  Wildlife  Service.  We  appreciate  the  efforts  of  K.  Bates,  D.  Chess- 
more,  M.  Dresner,  S.  Eisele,  E.  Spurling  and  associated  personnel  of  the  Califor- 
nia Cooperative  Fishery  Research  Unit.  Our  thanks  to  the  California  Department 
of  Fish  and  Game  which  provided  some  matching  funds  for  the  project  and 
especially  biologist  J.  Spratt  who  provided  considerable  guidance  in  the  early 
phases  of  our  research. 

LITERATURE  CITED 

Alderdice,  P.F.  and  F.P.J.  Velson.  1971.  Some  effects  of  salinity  and  temperature  on  early  development  of  Pacific 

herring,  Clupea  pallasi.  Can.  Fish.  Res.  Board,  Jog.,  28:1545-1562. 
Bagenal,  T.B.,  and  E.  Braum.  1971.  Eggs  and  early  life  history.  Pages  166-198  in  W.E.  Ricker,  ed.  Methods  for 

assessment  of  fish  production  in  fresh  waters.  2nd  ed.  Blackwell  Scientific  Publications,  Oxford. 
Blankenbeckler,  D.  1978.  Age,  growth,  maturation  and  parasite  occurrence  of  Pacific  herring  Clupea  pallasii  from 

southeastern  Alaska,  1974  through  1976.  Alaska  Dept.  Fish  Game  Tech.  Data  Rep.  No.  39.  88  p. 
Cleaver,  F.C,  and  DM.  Franett.  1946.  The  predation  by  seabirds  upon  the  eggs  of  Pacific  herring,  Clupea  pallasii, 

at  Holms  Harbor  during  1945.  State  of  Washington,  Dep.  Fish.,  Div.  Sci.  Res.,  Biol.  Rep.  46  B,  18  p. 
Harding,  L.W.  )r.  1973.  Primary  production  in  Humboldt  Bay.  Thesis,  Humboldt  State  College,  Areata,  Ca,  55  p. 
Harding,  L.W.,  Jr.,  J.H.  Butler,  and  R.E.  Heft.  1975.  The  standing  stock  and  production  of  eelgrass,  Zostera  marina 

L.  in  Humboldt  Bay,  California.  Lawrence  Livermore  Lab.,  Livermore,  CA.,  No.  UCRL-76987.  18  p. 


16  CALIFORNIA  FISH  AND  GAME 

Hart,  J.L.  and  A.L  Tester.  1934.  Quantitative  studies  on  herring  spawning.  Trans.  Am.  Fish.  Soc,  64:307-312. 

Outram,  D.N.  1951.  Observations  on  the  retention  and  spawning  of  the  Pacific  herring.  Prog.  Rep.  Biol.  Stn. 
Nanaimo  and  Prince  Rupert  87:32-33. 

1958.  The  magnitude  of  herring  spawn  losses  due  to  bird  predation  on  the  west  coast  of  Vancouver 

Island.  Fish.  Res.  Board  Can.  Pac.  Prog.  Rep.,  111:9-13. 

Outram,  D.N.  and  R.D.  Humphreys.  1974.  The  Pacific  herring  in  British  Columbia  waters.  Fish.  Mar   Serv .,  Pai 
Biol.  Stn.  Circ,  100,  26  p. 

Rabin,  D.|.  and  R.A.  Barnhart.  1977.  Fecundity  of  Pacific  herring,  Clupea  harengus  pallasi,  in  Humboldt  Bay.  Calif. 
Fish.  Came,  63(3):193-196. 

Rounsefell,  G.A.  1930.  Contribution  to  the  biology  of  the  Pacific  herring,  Clupea  pallasii.  and  the  condition  of  the 
fishery  in  Alaska.  Bull.  U.S.  Bur.  Fish.,  45:227-320. 

Skeesick,  DC.  1963.  A  study  of  some  physical-chemical  characteristics  of  Humboldt  Bay.  Thesis,  Humboldt  State 
College,  Areata,  CA,  148  p. 

Spratt,  |.D.  1976.  The  Pacific  herring  resource  of  Tomales  Bay  and  San  Francisco  Bay,  California:  Its  size  and 
structure.  Calif.  Fish  Game,  Mar.  Resources  Tech.  Rep.  33,  44  p. 

1981.  Status  of  the  Pacific  herring,  Clupea  harengus  pallasii,  resource  in  California  1972  to  1980.  Dept 

of  Fish  Came,  Fish  Bull.  (171),  107  p. 
Steinfeld,  J.D.  1972.  Distribution  of  Pacific  herring  spawn  in  Yaquina  Bay,  Oregon,  and  observation  on  mortality 

through  hatching.  Thesis,  Oregon  State  Univ.,  Corvallis,  75  p. 

Taylor,  F.H.C.  1964.  Life  history  and  present  status  of  British  Columbia  herring  stocks.  Can.  Fish.  Res.  Board,  Bull., 
143,  81  p. 

1971.  Variation  in  hatching  success  in  Pacific  herring,  Clupea  pallassil,  eggs  with  water  depth,  tempera- 
ture, salinity  and  egg  mass  thickness.  Rapp.  P.-V.  Reun.  Cons.  Int.  Explor.  Mer,  160:34-^41. 

U.S.  Army  Corps  of  Engineers.  1976.  Navigation  channel  improvements  authorized  for  Humboldt  Harbor  and  Bay, 
Humboldt  County,  California.  U.S.  Army  Corps  of  Engineers  Draft  Environmental  Statement.  San  Francisco 
District,  CA.  79  p. 

Waddell,  J.E.  1964.  The  effect  of  oyster  culture  on  eelgrass,  Zostera  marina,  L.,  Thesis,  Humboldt  State  College, 
Areata,  CA,  48  p. 

Yocum,  C.F.,  and  M.  Keller.  1961.  Correlation  of  food  habits  and  abundance  of  waterfowl,  Humboldt  Bay, 
California.  Calif.  Fish  Came,  47:41-53. 


THE  STRIPED  BASS  SPORT  FISHERY  17 

Calif.  Fish  and  Came  72  ( 1) :   1 7-37     1 986 

THE  STRIPED  BASS  SPORT  FISHERY  IN  THE 
SACRAMENTO-SAN  JOAQUIN  ESTUARY,  1969-1979  1 

JAMES  R.  WHITE 

California  Department  of  Fish  and  Game 

Bay-Delta  Fishery  Project 

4001  N.  Wilson  Way 

Stockton,  California     95205 

The  fishery  for  striped  bass  in  the  Sacramento-San  Joaquin  Estuary  is  described 
from  tag  returns  and  a  bay-area  creel  census.  Annual  harvest  averaged  18%  and  was 
higher  for  bass  >  age  5.  Annual  catch  ranged  from  about  100,000  to  400,000  fish  and 
declined  after  1976.  Angler  effort  and  success  (catch/ang  h)  also  declined  in  the  late 
1970's.  The  catch  varied  both  seasonally  and  geographically;  80%  of  the  catch  oc- 
curred from  May  through  November,  mostly  in  San  Francisco  Bay.  Private  boat 
anglers  took  65%  of  the  catch,  shore/pier  anglers  took  21%,  and  charter  boat  anglers 
14%.  Fork  length  of  bass  in  the  catch  averaged  65.1  cm,  but  exhibited  a  downward 
trend  and  varied  among  segments  of  the  fishery.  Age  3,  4,  and  5  bass  comprised 
two-thirds  of  the  catch;  age  4  typically  was  the  most  numerous  group.  Female  bass 
were  more  numerous  than  males  in  the  bay  area  catch  in  10  of  11  years.  Trends  and 
anomalies  in  these  data  are  discussed  in  relation  to  striped  bass  population  charac- 
teristics, environmental  factors  and  methodological  bias. 

INTRODUCTION 

Striped  bass,  Morone  saxatilis,  are  the  object  of  an  extensive  sport  fishery  in 
the  Sacramento-San  Joaquin  Estuary.  During  the  period  covered  by  this  report 
(1969-1979),  sportfishing  regulations  included  a  three-fish  bag  limit  and  a  mini- 
mum total  length  (tl)  of  40.6  cm.  Angling  occurs  throughout  the  year,  but 
activity  varies  seasonally  in  accordance  with  striped  bass  migrations.  In  summer 
and  fall,  anglers  fish  the  ocean  beaches  with  bait  or  by  casting  lures.  Boat  anglers 
fish  San  Francisco  Bay  and  the  Pacific  Ocean  (Figure  1 )  by  drifting  live  ancho- 
vies or  shiner  perch  or  by  trolling  lures.  In  San  Pablo  Bay  and  Carquinez  Strait 
there  is  a  summer  evening  troll  fishery  and  from  San  Pablo  Bay  upstream  many 
anglers  still-fish  with  bait  such  as  staghorn  sculpins  ("bullheads"),  Leptocottus 
armatus;  yellowfin  gobies  ("mudsuckers"),  Acanthogobius  flavimanus;  bay 
shrimp,  Crangon  sp.;  northern  anchovies,  Engraulis  mordax;  sardines,  Sardinops 
sp.;  and  threadfin  shad,  Dorosoma  petenense,  primarily  in  fall  and  winter.  During 
spring,  most  fishing  is  in  the  Delta  and  upriver  areas  where  anglers  troll  artificial 
lures  or  fish  with  bait. 

My  report  describes  this  striped  bass  fishery  from  1969  to  1979.  Information 
is  presented  on  harvest  rate;  the  magnitude,  distribution,  and  length,  age  and  sex 
composition  of  the  catch;  fishing  effort;  and  catch  rates.  Changes  in  these  catch 
statistics  reflect  the  condition  of  the  fishery  and  assist  in  evaluating  resource 
management  decisions. 

METHODS 
Harvest  rates,  annual  catch,  the  seasonal  and  geographic  distribution  of  the 
catch,  and  the  contribution  of  charter  boats,  private  boats  and  shore  or  pier  were 
estimated  from  tag  returns. 


1  Accepted  for  publication  April  1985. 


18 


CALIFORNIA  FISH  AND  CAME 


FEATHER 
RIVER 


FICURE   1.     Sacramento-San  Joaquin  River  System  and  Estuary. 

Legal  size  striped  bass  (  >40.6  cm  tl,  about  age  3  and  older)  were  tagged 
during  their  spring  spawning  migration,  on  the  San  Joaquin  River  near  Antioch 
and  on  the  Sacramento  River  between  Isleton  and  Fremont  Weir,  but  primarily 
near  Clarksburg  ( Figure  1 ) .  Approximately  4,000-1 8,000  bass  were  tagged  annu- 
ally, about  12%  of  these  with  $2,  $5,  $10,  or  $20  reward  tags. 

Tags  recovered  from  0  to  365  days  after  tagging  were  designated  first  year 
returns.  Since  tagging  occurred  for  up  to  3  months  each  spring,  recovery  years 
do  not  coincide  with  any  specific  calendar  period,  but  generally  run  from  spring 
to  spring. 


THE  STRIPED  BASS  SPORT  FISHERY  19 

Tags  were  recovered  mostly  from  anglers  who  voluntarily  returned  them  in 
the  mail,  but  also  during  an  annual  creel  census  in  the  San  Francisco-San  Pablo 
Bay  area.  Tags  observed  during  the  creel  census  were  assumed  to  be  completely 
reported;  but  uncensused  anglers  did  not  return  all  tags  that  they  recovered. 
Hence,  before  calculating  harvest  rates,  mail  returns  were  adjusted  for  nonre- 
sponse  based  on  ratios  of  return  rates  of  tags  of  different  reward  denominations. 

I  estimated  harvest  rate  using  the  equation: 

ID  Rm       v 

u'  -     mT  (r-  +   — > 

where:         u,  =   harvest  rate  in  year  t 

M,  =  number  of  nonreward  tags  applied  at  the  beginning  of 
year  t 

Rc  =  number  of  nonreward  tags  applied  at  the  beginning  of 
year  t  and  recovered  during  the  creel  census  that  year 

Rm  =  number  of  nonreward  tags  applied  at  the  beginning  of 
year  t  and  returned  in  the  mail  during  year  t 

r  =  estimated  response  rate  during  year  t  (ratio  of  nonre- 

ward:$20  tag  return  rate,  Stevens,  et  al.  1985) 

I  estimated  total  annual  catch  of  striped  bass  which  were  legal  size  in  the 
spring  using  the  equation: 

A  A 

C  =   ON 
where:         L  =  estimated  catch 

u  =  estimated  harvest  rate 

N  =  estimated  abundance  of  adult  bass. 

The  abundance  of  adult  bass  ( Stevens  1 977a,  Stevens  et  al.  1 985 )  was  estimat- 
ed using  the  modified  Petersen  method  (Bailey  1951). 

Angler  success  (bass/angler  h)  and  the  length,  age,  and  sex  composition  of 
the  summer  and  fall  catch  in  the  San  Francisco-San  Pablo  Bay  area  were  deter- 
mined from  the  creel  census.  This  census  was  conducted  daily  from  Wednesday 
through  Sunday  at  four  to  12  ports.  It  sampled  anglers  fishing  from  lower  Suisun 
Bay  to  the  Pacific  Ocean  (Figure  1 ). 

Census  effort  was  about  the  same  each  year  except  1977  and  1978  when 
private  boats  were  not  sampled  and  charter  boat  sampling  was  reduced  by 
75-80%. 

Standard  statistical  tests  (Sokal  and  Rohlf  1969)  were  used  to  evaluate  signifi- 
cant trends  and  differences  in  the  various  catch  statistics.  Arcsin  transformations 
were  used  before  applying  these  tests  to  percentages. 

RESULTS 

Angler  Response  and  Harvest  Rate 
Angler  response,  the  estimated  fraction  of  recovered  nonreward  tags  that 
anglers  actually  return,  decreased  over  the  years  of  study.  Response  estimatation 
assumed  all  recovered  $20  tags  were  returned.  However,  because  $20  tags  were 
not  released  every  year,  linear  regressions  were  calculated  to  describe  decreases 
in  tag  return  rate  ratios  of  nonreward:$5,  $5:$10  and  $10:$20  tags,  and  the  three 


20 


CALIFORNIA  FISH  AND  GAME 


return  rate  ratios  predicted  annually  from  these  regressions  were  multiplied  to 
estimate  response  for  each  year  (Stevens  et  al.  1985).  Response  ranged  from 
0.58  in  1969  to  0.36  in  1979  (Table  1). 

TABLE  1.     Summary  of  Striped  Bass  Tagging  Program  in  the  Sacramento-San  Joaquin  Estuary. 

Bass 

Total  1st  observed 

Bass  year  tag  Response  in  creel 

Ye.tr                                                                         tagged  returns '  rate  census 

1969         16,419  2,787  0.576  18,458 

1970 14,380  1,625  0.551  21,043 

1971 18,182  2,860  0.528  18,399 

1972 18,368  2,690  0.504  32,381 

1973 15,383  2,131  0.481  25,715 

1974 13,785  2,616  0.460  38,703 

1975 8,853  1,801  0.439  26,993 

1976 10,510  1,854  0.419  21,481 

1977 2  4,955  860  0.398  4,073 

1976 2 4,255  416  0.379  1,461 

1979 11,072  1,478  0.360  7,437 

Tags  recovered  within  3(>5  days  ot  tagging  date;  includes  mail  returns  of  nonreward  tags  corrected  for  nonre- 
xponse,  mail  returns  of  reward  tags,  and  tags  recovered  during  the  creel  census. 
2  Tagging  effort  reduced  from  two  gill  net  boats  and  fyke  traps  to  one  gill  net  boat;  private  boats  not  sampled, 
charter  boat  census  effort  reduced  by  75-80%. 

From  1969  to  1979,  an  average  of  about  18%  of  the  legal-size  bass  population 
was  harvested  annually  (Table  2).  Estimated  harvest  rate  declined  substantially 
from  20%  in  1969  to  about  13%  in  1970  and  then  increased  each  year  through 
1974  when  it  reached  22%.  It  remained  at  that  level  from  1974  to  1976.  The 
harvest  rate  declined  in  1977  and  again  in  1978  to  11%,  the  lowest  level  for  the 
11 -year  period.  It  increased  again  to  almost  18%  in  1979,  very  close  to  the 
11 -year  average. 

TABLE  1.     Estimated  Harvest  Rate,  Legal-Size  Abundance  and  Annual  Catch  of  Striped  Bass 
in  the  Sacramento-San  Joaquin  Estuary,  1969-1979. 

Estimated  Estimated  Estimated 

harvest  legal-size                    annual 

rate  bass  abundance                catch 

)ear                                                                               (0)  (hi)  (6=  u\) 

1969 0.201  1,646,000                     330,800 

1970 0.133  1,727,000                     229,700 

1971 0.158  1,600,000                     252,800 

1972 0.170  1,883,000                     320,100 

1973 0.174  1,637,000                     284,800 

1974            0.222  1,477,000                     327,900 

1975 0.218  1,850,000                     403,300 

'976 0.229  1,563,000                     357,900 

1977     0.183  885,000                      162,000 

'978 0.106  1,009,000                      107,000 

'  9      0.178  1,125,000  200,300 

Mean 0.179  270,600 

Standard  Deviation 0.0379  89,600 

Harvest  rate  trends  were  about  the  same  for  both  sexes.  Sex  stratified  rates 
were  calculated  for  ages  3  and  4  combined  and  ages  >  5.  Except  for  females  in 
1978,  bass  age  5  and  above  were  harvested  at  consistently  higher  rates  than  3 
and  4-year-olds  (Figure  2). 


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FIGURE  1.     Harvest  rate  estimates  stratified  by  age  and  sex  for  striped  bass  in  the  Sacramento-San 
Joaquin  Estuary. 

Annual  Catch 
From  1969  to  1979,  annual  catch  estimates  ranged  from  about  107,000  to 
403,000  striped  bass  (Table  2).  Catch  fluctuated  with  no  significant  trend  (t  = 
0.30,  P  >0.90)  from  1969  to  1976;  however,  it  declined  substantially  in  1977  and 
remained  low  through  1979.  The  1977-1979  average  of  156,400  bass  was  signifi- 
cantly less  than  the  1969-1976  mean  catch  of  313,400  (t  =  4.28,  P  < 0.005). 

Seasonal  and  Geographic  Distribution 
The  harvest  of  tagged  bass  was  stratified  according  to  recovery  month  and 
area  to  approximate  the  seasonal  and  geographic  distribution  of  the  catch.  These 
distributions  are  approximations  for  several  reasons:  (i)  immature  female  bass 
(ages  3  and  4)  are  underrepresented  in  the  tagged  group  because  many  do  not 
migrate  to  the  spawning  grounds  where  tagging  occurs;  ( ii )  recruitment  of  newly 
legal  (40.6  cm)  untagged  fish  occurs  after  tagging;  and  (iii)  due  to  mortality, 
tagged  fish  become  less  available  with  time  after  tagging.  The  latter  two  factors 
cause  tag  returns  to  increasingly  underrepresent  the  monthly  catch  as  time 
passes  which,  in  turn,  affects  the  apparent  geographic  distribution  of  the  catch 
because  peak  fishing  periods  differ  among  areas. 

Monthly  tag  returns  were  low  in  winter,  increased  during  spring,  leveled  off 
during  summer,  and  reached  a  peak  in  the  fall  before  declining  to  winter  levels 
(Figure  3).  More  than  80%  of  the  annual  returns  were  from  bass  caught  from 
May  through  November.  Recoveries  were  highest  in  October  and  November. 


22 


CALIFORNIA  FISH  AND  CAME 


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FIGURE  3.  Monthly  distribution  of  striped  bass  harvest  in  the  Sacramento-San  Joaquin  Estuary 
based  on  mean  first  year  returns  of  nonreward  tags  from  1969  to  1979.  Mail  returns 
were  corrected  for  response  rate.  Vertical  bars  represent  ±  2  standard  errors. 

In  general,  San  Francisco  Bay  provided  more  tag  recoveries  than  other  re- 
gions. From  1969  to  1979,  these  recoveries  averaged  35%  of  the  annual  total, 
but  the  proportion  was  highly  variable,  ranging  from  about  20%  in  1979  to  54% 
in  1974  (Table  3). 

San  Pablo  Bay-Carquinez  Strait  returns  averaged  about  21%  of  the  total. 

Suisun  Bay  averaged  6.1%  and  the  Delta  averaged  19.8%  of  the  total  annual 
returns.  The  percentage  of  tag  returns  from  the  Delta  exceeded  the  11 -year 
average  each  year  from  1976  to  1979  resulting  in  a  statistically  significant  (t  = 
3.17,  P  <0.01 )  increasing  trend.  The  percentage  of  returns  from  Suisun  Bay  also 
was  relatively  high  during  the  last  4  years,  particularly  in  1978  and  1979,  but  the 
11 -year  trend  was  not  statistically  significant  because  returns  were  lower  from 
1973-1975  than  in  earlier  years. 

About  15%  of  annual  tag  returns  were  from  the  Sacramento  River  upstream 
from  the  Delta.  On  the  average,  returns  were  equally  divided  between  the 
section  from  Courtland  to  the  Feather  River  (including  the  American  River)  and 
the  section  upstream  from  there  including  the  Feather  River  and  its  tributaries. 

The  fewest  tag  recoveries  came  from  the  San  Joaquin  River  and  the  Pacific 
Ocean.  Only  about  1%  or  less  of  annual  returns  were  from  the  upper  San 
Joaquin  River.  An  average  of  2.3%  of  annual  returns  were  from  the  Pacific 
Ocean,  although  in  1977  an  exceptional  8.4%  came  from  the  ocean.  Although 
bass  migrate  to  the  ocean  every  year,  they  become  available  to  anglers  only 
when  they  congregate  near  shore,  particularly  off  beaches  south  of  the  Golden 
Gate. 

Fishing  Mode 
Anglers  returning  tags  were  asked  if  they  caught  their  fish  on  a  charter  boat, 
private  boat,  or  from  shore  or  pier.  This  allowed  the  annual  catch  to  be  appor- 
tioned accordingly  using  all  returns,  including  tags  applied  in  previous  years. 


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24 


CALIFORNIA  FISH  AND  CAME 


On  the  average,  private  boat,  shore,  and  charter  boat  anglers  accounted  for 
about  65%,  21%,  and  14%  of  the  annual  catch,  respectively  (Figure  4).  There 
was  a  statistically  significant  (t  =  4.45,  P  <  0.005)  upward  trend  in  shore  anglers' 
share  of  the  catch  from  1969  to  1979.  The  fraction  of  the  catch  taken  on  charter 
boats  and  private  boats  did  not  significantly  increase  or  decrease  over  the  years 
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Proportion  of  annual  catch  of  striped  bass  in  the  Sacramento-San  Joaquin  Estuary  taken 
from  private  boats,  charter  boats,  and  shore  or  pier.  Calculated  using  all  tags  returned, 
including  first  year  returns  of  nonreward  tags  (creel  and  response-corrected  mail 
returns),  reward  tags,  and  tags  applied  in  previous  years. 

Length,  Age,  and  Sex  Composition  of  Catch 

The  mean  fork  length  (fl)  of  bass  measured  in  the  creel  census  from  1969  to 
1979  was  65.1  cm  and  ranged  from  57.8  cm  in  1979  to  72.0  cm  in  1977  (Table 
4). 

Mean  length  varied  with  fishing  location.  Bass  caught  in  the  Pacific  Ocean 
averaged  80.0  cm  fl  and  were  consistently  larger  than  those  from  other  areas 
( Figure  5 ) .  On  the  average,  bass  caught  in  Carquinez  Strait  and  Suisun  Bay  were 
the  smallest  (51.5  cm).  Fish  from  San  Francisco  Bay  and  San  Pablo  Bay  were 
intermediate  in  length,  averaging  64.6  cm  and  65.4  cm,  respectively. 

Fish  length  decreased  significantly  from  1969  to  1979  in  all  areas  (Pacific 
Ocean;  t  =  3.27,  P  <  0.01;  San  Francisco  Bay:  t  =  2.51,  P  <  0.05;  San  Pablo 
Bay:  t  =  5.43,  P  <  0.001;  Carquinez  Strait-Suisun  Bay:  t  =  2.43,  P  <  0.05). 


THE  STRIPED  BASS  SPORT  FISHERY 


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FIGURE  5.     Annual  mean  fork  length  of  striped  bass  caught  in  four  areas  of  the  western  Sacra- 
mento-San Joaquin  Estuary. 

Anglers  on  private  boats  consistently  caught  larger  fish  than  anglers  on  charter 
boats  (t  =  2.62,  P  <  0.05;  Table  4).  The  overall  difference  was  due  to  a  consist- 
ent difference  in  San  Pablo  Bay  and  Carquinez  Strait-Suisun  Bay  (Figure  6).  In 
the  Pacific  Ocean,  bass  caught  on  private  boats  and  charter  boats  were  of  similar 
size  in  most  years;  in  San  Francisco  Bay,  bass  caught  on  private  boats  were  larger 
through  1975  and  smaller  thereafter. 

The  average  bass  caught  from  shore  appeared  to  be  intermediate  in  size 
between  those  caught  on  the  two  types  of  boats,  although  samples  of  shore 
caught  fish  were  small  and  lengths  were  rather  variable  (Table  4). 

From  1969  to  1979,  almost  two-thirds  of  the  censused  catch  was  comprised 
of  3,  4,  and  5  year  old  bass  (Figure  7).  Overall,  4-year-old  fish  were  the  most 
abundant  age  group  in  the  catch  and  each  successively  older  age  group  became 
less  abundant.  Two-year-old  bass  accounted  for  less  than  1%  of  the  catch. 

Within  individual  years,  the  age  composition  often  deviated  from  the  average 
pattern  (Figure  7).  Age  3  bass  were  well  underrepresented  in  1969  (11%),  1973 
(10%),  and  1977  (  <8%)  compared  to  the  11  year  average  of  about  21%. 
Hence,  other  age  classes  were  relatively  more  numerous  in  these  years.  In  1969, 
age  7  and  older  bass  formed  39%  of  the  catch  ( 1 1  year  average:  22% ) .  The  1 973 
catch  had  a  high  proportion  of  ages  4-6  (68%  compared  to  the  56%  average). 
In  1977,  5-8  year  old  bass  accounted  for  71%  of  the  catch  (average  of  46%). 


THE  STRIPED  BASS  SPORT  FISHERY 


27 


Conversely,  the  age  composition  in  1979  was  unusual  as  3  year  old  bass  from 
the  1976  year  class  made  up  almost  half  the  catch,  the  result  of  good  trolling 
during  summer  evenings  in  Carquinez  Strait.  The  percentage  of  old  (age  >8) 
fish  declined  noticeably  during  the  early  1 970's  and  remained  low  except  in  1 977 
when  fishing  was  good  in  the  ocean. 


PACIFIC     OCEAN 


80- 


E 
o 

Z 
O 

z 
111 

-J 

o 


FIGURE  6. 


t 1 1 1 1 1 r 

70  72  74  76 

YEAR 

Annual  mean  fork  length  of  striped  bass  caught  by  charter  boat  (•)  and  private  boat 
( ▲ )  anglers  in  four  areas  of  the  western  Sacramento-San  Joaquin  Estuary.  Private  boat 
catch  not  sampled  in  1977  and  1978. 


28 


("AMFORNIA  FISH  AMD  GAME 


00 


e>   - 


E 


n 


-   -i 


JD 

"?  r 


O) 


00 


to 


T 
X 


-  -5 

I  a 

Ui    It 

a  «  5 

<  2  - 


IT) 


J    = 


n         ^- 


NOUISOdWOO     30V      J.N30«3d 


THE  STRIPED  BASS  SPORT  FISHERY 


29 


Significantly  moro  female  than  male  striped  bass  were  observed  in  the  catch 
every  year  except  in  1979  when  more  males  were  seen  (Table  5).  Percent 
females  averaged  55.5%  and  ranged  from  63.5%  of  the  catch  in  1977  to  48.3% 
in  1979.  For  the  years  during  which  both  charter  boat  and  private  boat  catches 
were  censused,  percent  females  in  the  private  boat  catch  (55.4%)  was  signifi- 
cantly greater  than  in  the  charter  boat  catch  (53.1%)   ft  =  0.93,  P  <  0.001  ). 

TABLE  5.  Percent  Female  Striped  Bass  in  the  San  Francisco  Bav  Area  Catch,  with  Result*,  of 
Chi-Square  Tests  of  the  Hypothesis  for  all  Fishing  Methods  that  Number  Males  — 
Number  Females. 


Year 

1969 

1970 

1971 

I972 

1971 

1974 

1975 

1976 

1977  '  

1978' 

1979 

Mean 

Standard  Deviation 


% 
Female 
58.6 
55.8 
56.7 
51.5 
55.1 
51.5 
54.9 
54.5 
63.5 
59.6 
48.3 
55  5 
4.21 


ALL  METHODS 

Bass 

Sexed 

9.075 

9,121 
12.131 
21.227 
16.879 
29,329 
24,241 
19,249 

3,931 

1,291 

7,004 


X2 
265.7 
123.8 
219.8 

19.5 
227.1 

27.7 
235.1 
153.2 
277.4 

48.0 

8.2 

1,045.3 


P  < 

0.001 
0001 
0.001 
0.001 
0  001 
0.00 1 
0001 
0.001 
0.001 
0.001 
0.005 
0.001 


CHARTER 

BOA1S 

0/ 

Female 

55.9 
53.4 

56.0 

51.1 

54.7 

49.9 

55.3 

53.6 

163.5) 

(596i 

47.6 

53.1 

293 


PRIVATE 
BOATS 

Female 

60  2 
>7 


.3 


->  .- 
il.9 
55.7 
54.1 
54.3 
55.8 


51.8 

55.4 
I  70 


1  Charter  boat  census  was  reduced  and  private  boat  census  eliminated  in  1l*77  and  1f»78  rhese  years  omitted  from 
the  mean  values  for  charter  boats  and  private  boats. 

On  a  monthly  basis,  exceptions  to  domination  of  the  catch  by  females  oc- 
curred mostly  during  June  (Table  6) .  In  1 979  when  males  were  dominant,  there 
were  significantly  more  males  than  females  caught  in  June  and  August.  That  vear 
females  prevailed  in  only  two  months,  Juty  and  December,  and  then  differences 
were  small. 


TABLE  6. 


Year 

1969. 
1970. 
1971. 
1972. 
1973. 
1974. 
1975. 
1976. 
1977. 
1978. 
1979. 


Results  of  Chi-Square  Tests  of  the  Sex  Ratio  in  the  Striped  Bass  Catch  Observed 
in  the  San  Francisco  Bay  Area.  F  or  f  Indicates  More  Females;  M  or  m  Indicates 
More  Males;  =,  Equal  Numbers  of  Each  Sex.  Upper  Case  Letters  Denote  Statisti- 
cally Significant  Difference  at  a  =  0.05. 


Jun 

ful 

Aug 

Sept 

Oct 

•Voi 

Dec 

Total 

F 

F 

F 

F 

F 

c 

m 

F 

F 

F 

F 

F 

f 

F 

F 

F 

F 

F 

m 

F 

F 

F 

F 

F 

F 

F 

F 

M 

F 

c 

F 

f 

F 

F 

m 

F 

F 

M 

F 

F 

F 

F 

F 

m 

F 

F 

F 

f 

1 

F 

f 

F 

F 

f 

F 

m 

r 

m 

F 

F 

f 

in 

i 

1 

M 

f 

M 

m 

m 

— 

f 

V1 

No  data. 


30 


CALIFORNIA  FISH  AND  CAME 


Fishing  Effort  and  Success 

Approximately  1.4  million  angler  hours  were  recorded  by  the  creel  census 
from  1969-1979.  Effort  covered  by  our  sample  interviews  ranged  from  about 
54,000  angler  hours  in  1979  to  almost  200,000  angler  hours  in  1969  and  1974 
(Figure  8).  Interviewed  effort  on  private  boats  declined  from  about  120,000 
angler  hours  in  1969  to  about  15,000  angler  hours  in  1979  and  this  trend  was 
statistically  significant  (t  =  4.36,  P  <  0.05,  no  data  for  1977  and  1978).  Charter 
boat  effort  fluctuated  irregularly  from  1969  to  1979  with  no  consistent  trend 
(data  from  reduced  census  in  1977  and  1978  excluded).  However,  as  for  private 
boats,  the  lowest  effort  was  in  1979  and  it  was  less  than  half  of  the  peak  effort 
in  1974,  only  5  years  earlier.  While  my  data  represent  an  unknown  portion  of 
the  total  fishing  effort,  I  believe  these  trends  are  valid  since  census  effort  was 
about  equal  each  year. 


125  - 
</) 
^       100- 

0  <o 

I"o     75- 

(L   O 

S2  so- 

1  25- 

0- 


— T" 
69 


- r 

71 


—| r 

73 
YEAR 


— r- 
75 


77 


~™ r 

79 


FIGURE  8.  Fishing  effort  by  charter  boat  (•)  and  private  boat  (®)  striped  bass  anglers  sampled 
in  the  San  Francisco  Bay  area  creel  census.  Private  boats  were  not  sampled  and  charter 
boat  sampling  effort  was  reduced  by  75-80%  in  1977  and  1978. 


Angler  success  (bass/angler  h)  was  estimated  from  the  censused  effort  and 
catch.  These  estimates  of  success  are  biased  upward  slightly  because  the  census 
was  designed  primarily  to  gather  data  for  estimating  striped  bass  abundance. 
Therefore  when  several  boats  landed  simultaneously,  samplers  selected  the 
boats  with  the  largest  catches. 

Success  was  highly  variable  from  1969-1979  (Figure  9).  From  0.10  bass/ 
angler  h  in  1969-1971,  overall  success  increased  substantially,  averaging  0.18 
bass/angler  h  from  1972  to  1974.  Success  declined  in  1975  and  1976.  Only 
charter  boats  were  censused  in  1977  and  1978,  and  their  success  was  high  in 
1977  (0.27  bass/angler  h)  and  low  (0.11  bass/angler  h)  in  1978.  In  1979  overall 
success  (0.14  bass/angler  h)  was  about  the  same  as  in  1976  and  nearly  equal 
to  the  1 969-1 976  average. 


THE  STRIPED  BASS  SPORT  FISHERY 


31 


*  0.3  - 

O 

X 

DC 

UJ 

-I  0.2  -| 

O 

z 
< 

8!  o.i 


O 

< 
O 


\    /. 


69 


71 


- 1 r~ 

73 
YEAR 


75 


~T~ 
77 


79 


FIGURE  9.  Striped  bass  angler  success  on  charter  boats  (•)  and  private  boats  (a)  and  both 
combined  ( O )  in  the  San  Francisco  Bay  Area.  Private  boats  were  not  sampled  in  1977 
and  1978. 

Mean  charter  boat  angler  success  (0.20  bass/angler  h)  was  twice  that  of 
private  boat  anglers  (0.10  bass/angler  h).  Annual  variation  in  success  also  was 
greater  for  charter  boats  than  for  private  boats  ( F  =  8.84,  P  <  0.01 ) .  Charter 
boat  success  ranged  from  0.11  (1969,  1978)  to  0.28  (1972)  bass/angler  h  com- 
pared to  a  range  of  0.08  (1969,  1979)  to  0.17  (1974)  bass/angler  h  for  private 
boats.  Based  on  the  9  years  for  which  comparative  data  were  obtained,  the 
difference  between  the  success  of  charter  boat  and  private  boat  anglers  was 
statistically  significant  (t  =  4.62,  P  <  0.001 ).  Despite  these  differences,  charter 
boat  and  private  boat  success  were  significantly  correlated  ( r  =  0.83,  P  <  0.01 ) . 

After  analysis  of  variance  revealed  that  angler  success  differed  significantly 
among  areas  (charter  boats:  F  =  8.65,  P  <  0.001;  private  boats:  F  =  17.16,  P  < 
0.001 ),  an  a  posteriori  stepwise  range  test  (Student-Newman-Keuls  test,  Sokal 
and  Rohlf  1969)  was  used  to  determine  that  charter  boat  anglers  were  signifi- 
cantly more  successful  (P  <  0.01)  in  San  Francisco  Bay  than  in  the  Pacific 
Ocean,  San  Pablo  Bay,  or  Carquinez  Strait-Suisun  Bay  (Table  7).  For  private 
boats,  angler  success  was  similar  in  the  ocean,  San  Francisco  Bay,  and  Carquinez 
Strait-Suisun  Bay,  but  in  San  Pablo  Bay  success  was  significantly  lower  (P  < 
0.05). 

Except  for  1977,  when  fishing  was  exceptionally  good  in  the  ocean,  summer 
success  was  similar  in  all  years.  Overall  success  varied  annually  primarily  due 
to  differences  in  fall  fishing  (Figure  10). 

DISCUSSION 

My  results  show  declines  in  the  annual  striped  bass  catch  and  angling  effort, 
in  regions  creel  censused,  during  the  mid-  to  late-1970's.  However,  a  more 
general  decline  in  the  fishery  actually  has  occurred  since  1958  (Stevens  et  al. 


32 


CALIFORNIA  FISH  AND  GAME 


1985).  It  is  attributable  to  a  decline  in  bass  abundance  which  apparently  is  due 
to:  (i)  reduced  recruitment  explained  by  a  decline  in  the  abundance  of  young 
bass  and  (ii)  increased  mortality  of  adults  resulting  from  the  increased  harvest 
rates  in  the  mid-1 970's. 


TABLE  7.  Mean  Angler  Success  (Bass/Angler  h)  of  Charter  Boat  and  Private  Boat  Anglers 
in  the  San  Francisco  Bay  Area  Striped  Bass  Fishery.  Private  Boat  Anglers  Were  Not 
Sampled  in  1977  and  1978. 

CHARTER  BOAT 

Pacific 

Year  Ocean 

1969 0.096 

1970 0.087 

1971 0.059 

1972 0.213 

1973 0.150 

1974 0.100 

1975 0.183 

1976 0.215 

1977 0.381 

1978 0.097 

1979 0.097 

69-76,  79  Mean 0.133 

Standard  Deviation 0.0587 

69-79  Mean 0.153 

Standard  Deviation 0.0927 

PRIVATE  BOAT 

Pacific 

Year  Ocean 

1969 0.178 

1970 0.127 

1971 0.153 

1972 0.145 

1973 0.178 

1974 0.030 

1975 0.033 

1976 0.070 

1977 

1978 

1979 0.032 

69-76,  79  Mean 0.110 

Standard  Deviation 0.0623 


FISHING  AREAS 

San 

San 

Carquinez 

Francisco 

Pablo 

Strait 

Bay 

Bay 

Suisun  Bay 

0.141 

0.051 

0.052 

0.219 

0.071 

0.053 

0.234 

0.051 

0.156 

0.361 

0.098 

0.162 

0.315 

0.066 

0.113 

0.305 

0.089 

0.157 

0.241 

0.124 

0.071 

0.173 

0.126 

0.225 

0.179 

0.118 

0.153 

0.100 

0.123 

0.040 

0.165 

0.107 

0.237 

0.239 

0.087 

0.136 

0.0749 

0.0289 

0.0692 

0.221 

0.093 

0.129 

0.0802 

0.0292 

0.0688 

San 

San 

Carquinez 

Francisco 

Pablo 

Strait 

Bay 

Bay 

Suisun  Bay 

0.137 

0.048 

0.101 

0.171 

0.056 

0.208 

0.154 

0.044 

0.161 

0.168 

0.068 

0.176 

0.154 

0.053 

0.108 

0.190 

0.072 

0.105 

0.131 

0.070 

0.190 

0.091 

0.101 

0.169 

0.086 

0.045 

0.086 

0.142 

0.062 

0.144 

0.0353 

0.0182 

0.0443 

The  decline  in  striped  bass  abundance  indicates  that  mortality  is  exceeding 
recruitment  (Stevens  et  al.  1985);  yet  harvest  rates,  a  major  component  of  total 
mortality,  for  1 969-1 979  are  within  the  range  of  estimates  reported  by  Chadwick 
(1968)  and  Miller  (1974)  for  1958-1971.  Also,  peak  harvest  rates  of  about  27% 
in  the  mid-1 970's  are  lower  than  exploitation  of  Atlantic  coast  stocks  (Kohlen- 
stein  1981 )  which  are  fished  both  for  sport  and  commercially. 

I  examined  the  possibility  that  our  harvest  rates  were  underestimated  due  to 
anglers  not  returning  reward  tags.  To  do  this,  I  re-estimated  the  harvest  rates  by 
(i)  extrapolating  charter  boat  catches  reported  on  logs  [Stevens  19776  and 


THE  STRIPED  BASS  SPORT  FISHERY 


33 


unpublished;  adjusted  for  inaccuracies  and  nonreporting  (Grant  1977)]  to  total 
catch  based  on  the  percent  of  annual  catch  by  charter  boats  (Figure  4),  and  (ii) 
dividing  these  total  catch  estimates  by  the  Petersen  population  estimates  (Table 
2).  These  harvest  rate  estimates  are  independent  of  angler  response,  but  aver- 
aged 45%  lower  than  the  estimates  based  on  tag  returns.  Thus,  these  results  did 
not  provide  evidence  that  the  initial  harvest  rates  were  underestimated.  The 
lower  re-estimated  harvest  rates  probably  are  due  to  error  in  the  charter  boat 
catch  adjustments  (Grant  1977)  and/or  the  Petersen  estimates  of  abundance 
(Stevens  1977a,  Stevens  et  al.  1985). 

My  annual  catch  estimates  (Table  2)  are  minimum  estimates  because  striped 
bass  abundance  estimates  used  in  the  calculation  pertain  to  the  number  of  legal 
size  fish  in  the  spring  when  only  about  half  of  the  3  year  old  bass  are  legal  size. 
The  remaining  3-year-olds  are  recruited  during  the  summer  but  are  not  included 
in  the  catch  estimate. 

Catches  are  influenced  by  the  amount  of  striped  bass  fishing  effort — declining 
catches  are  accentuated  by  the  tendency  for  anglers  to  fish  less  when  fishing  is 
poor.  For  example,  the  amount  of  angler  effort  on  charter  boats  is  directly  related 
to  angler  success  (Miller  1974).  While  my  creel  census  data  does  not  reveal  a 


0.4  n 


0.3- 


0.2 


cc 

O 

X 

cc 

-I 

o 


<  0.1 
CC 

Hi 
Q. 

S    o. 

5  0.2 


077 


CHARTER    BOATS 


(72-75) 


77 


0.1- 


PRIVATE    BOATS 


(72-75) 


71,76,79) 


JUNE 


AUG 


OCT 


— r 
DEC 


MONTH 


FIGURE  10.  Monthly  striped  bass  fishing  success  in  years  when  success  was  high  (1972-1979)  (•) 
and  in  years  when  success  was  lower  (1969-1971,  1976,  1979)  (A)  for  charter  boats 
and  private  boats  in  the  San  Francisco  Bay  area.  Charter  boat  success  in  1 977  and  1 978 
is  plotted  separately;  private  boats  were  not  sampled  in  1977  and  1978. 


34  CALIFORNIA  FISH  AND  CAME 

statistically  significant  correlation  between  effort  and  success,  it  does  provide 
evidence  that  effort  was  reduced  by  low  success.  After  a  disastrous  season  in 
1978,  many  charter  boats  in  San  Francisco  Bay  responded  to  declining  angler 
interest  by  shifting  a  major  portion  of  their  effort  from  striped  bass  to  California 
halibut,  Paralichthys  californicus,  and  rockfish  (Sebastes  sp.).  This  "potluck" 
strategy  contributed  to  San  Francisco  Bay  providing  its  lowest  percentage  of  the 
total  annual  striped  bass  catch  in  1979  (Table  3). 

The  seasonality  of  the  striped  bass  catch  is  influenced  by  their  migrations  and 
feeding  activity.  Catches  increase  in  the  spring  when  bass  occur  in  high  densities 
on  the  spawning  grounds  and  thus  attract  anglers.  However,  their  vulnerability 
does  not  peak  then  because  their  feeding  is  diminished  (Stevens  1966).  The 
greatest  catches  generally  occur  during  the  summer  and  fall  in  San  Francisco  and 
San  Pablo  bays  when  the  bass  feed  more  actively.  Catches  are  lowest  during 
winter  because  fishing  effort  is  reduced  by  inclement  weather,  the  bass  are 
widely  scattered  (Chadwick  1967,  Orsi  1971),  the  water  is  turbid,  and  fish 
metabolism  is  low  due  to  low  water  temperature. 

Catches  differ  geographically  each  year,  apparently  due  to  changes  in  migra- 
tions and  environmental  conditions.  For  example,  a  drought  in  1976-1977  re- 
duced freshwater  flows  resulting  in  increased  salinity  intrusion  and  high  water 
transparency  in  the  Delta  and  Suisun  Bay  in  fall  and  winter.  Similar  conditions 
existed  in  fall-winter,  1978  and  fall,  1979  as  significant  precipitation  did  not  occur 
until  late  in  those  seasons.  Tag  returns  from  both  areas  increased  beginning  in 
1976  (Table  3).  Salinity  intrusion  may  have  induced  more  bass  to  migrate  from 
San  Francisco  Bay  to  Suisun  Bay  and  the  Delta  in  the  fall  as  suggested  by  a 
negative,  although  not  statistically  significant,  correlation  (r  —  —0.42)  between 
Suisun  Bay-Delta  returns  (percent  of  annual  releases)  and  returns  from  San 
Francisco  Bay.  Also,  clear  water  may  have  enhanced  fishing  as  the  tag  return 
rate  is  positively  correlated  with  water  transparency  (Figure  11 ). 

The  mean  length  of  bass  in  the  population  declined  during  the  1970's  (Table 
4 ) .  Apparently  the  strong  year  classes  of  the  late  1 950's  ( Stevens  1 9776 )  which 
provided  good  fishing  for  large  bass  in  the  late  1960's  and  early  1970's  were 
dying  out.  Since  subsequent  year  classes  were  weaker,  the  abundance  of  large 
bass  declined.  In  the  mid  1970's,  there  probably  were  several  moderate  year 
classes  (Stevens  et  al.  1985)  which  were  subjected  to  increasing  harvest  rates 
when  recruited.  This  higher  mortality  would  have  further  reduced  the  abun- 
dance of  large  bass  in  subsequent  years.  The  decline  in  average  size  continued 
in  the  late  1970's  in  spite  of  consistently  low  recruitment  since  1976  (Stevens  et 
al.  1985). 

Considering  the  downward  trend  in  mean  size,  the  high  harvest  of  large  bass 
in  the  Pacific  Ocean  in  1977  is  anomalous.  Apparently  they  were  more  vulnera- 
ble than  usual  that  year.  I  found  that  these  catches  were  not  consistent  with 
Radovich's  (1963)  hypothesis  of  warm  sea  temperatures  inducing  seaward 
migrations  and  higher  ocean  catches  of  striped  bass.  Some  of  the  lowest  ocean 
catches  occurred  in  1974,  1975,  and  1978  when  summer  ocean  temperatures  at 
Hopkins  Marine  Station,  Pacific  Grove,  CA  were  similar  to  1977  (June-August 
mean:14.1-14.3°C).  Ocean  catches  were  only  average  in  1972  and  1976  when 
summer  ocean  temperatures  were  higher  (14.9-15.0°C).  Possibly,  forage  fish 
were  abundant  in  the  surf  zone  which  concentrated  the  bass  so  they  were 
available  to  anglers  in  1977.  However,  this  explanation  cannot  be  tested  with 
available  data. 


THE  STRIPED  BASS  SPORT  FISHERY 


35 


The  high  ocean  harvest  in  1977  may  have  been  detrimental.  It  consisted  of 
a  high  proportion  of  females  (63.5%)  which  contributed  to  a  high  overall 
harvest  (28.3%)  of  females  5  years  and  older.  These  fish  account  for  almost  all 
striped  bass  egg  production  which  currently  may  be  inadequate  in  this  popula- 
tion (Stevens  et  al.  1985). 

In  the  San  Pablo-Suisun  Bay  region,  private  boat  anglers  caught  much  larger 
bass,  on  average,  than  charter  boat  anglers  (Figure  6).  This  difference  reflects 
private  boats  fishing  extensively  with  bait  for  large  bass  in  fall  and  winter,  but 
relatively  few  of  them  fishing  during  summer  evenings  when  charter  boats  are 
trolling  for  smaller  bass. 

•79  .77 


1.0  n 


Q 

UJ 


UJ 


0.8  - 


Ocm    0.6 
<    I 
H    O 


0.4  - 


I- 
O 

< 


0.2- 


76 


69 


•  78 


•  74 


75*  «71 

•72 


70* 


•73 


T 


— I 1 1 

40  50 

SECCHI    DISK    DEPTH(cm) 


1 
60 


FIGURE  11.  Scatter  plot  of  1st  year  tag  returns  from  Suisun  Bay  and  the  Delta  (mean  of  Oct.,  Nov., 
and  Dec.  returns  as  a  percentage  of  tags  released )  and  water  transparency.  December 
tag  returns  were  not  used  for  1973-1979  because  transparency  data  for  December 
were  incomplete.  Correlation  coefficient  =  0.76  (pZO.01)  after  arcsin  transforma- 
tion of  decimal  fractions. 

The  age  composition  of  the  catch  varied  annually  but  was  particularly  unusual 
in  1979.  Age  3  bass  (1976  year  class)  comprised  an  abnormally  high  45%  of  the 
bay  area  catch  that  year  (Figure  7),  even  though  when  young,  their  abundance 
was  among  the  lowest  of  the  year  classes  recruited  during  the  1969-1979  census 
(Stevens  et  al.  1985).  Possible  explanations  are:  (i)  High  vulnerability  for  age 
3  bass  in  1979 — catches  were  high  in  the  Carquinez  Strait  evening  troll  fishery. 
These  bass  may  have  found  abundant  forage  and  remained  in  the  Strait  through 
the  summer.  Angler  success  was  high  (0.24  bass/angler  h)  and  anglers  respond- 


36  CALIFORNIA  FISH  AND  GAME 

ed  by  increasing  effort,  (ii)  Low  abundance  of  older  bass  due  to  only  moderate 
recruitment  in  the  early  1970's  and  high  mortality  in  the  mid-1 970's  (Stevens  et 
al.  1985)  skewing  the  1979  age  composition  toward  the  new  recruits,  (iii)  High 
survival  between  ages  0  and  3  for  the  1976  year  class.  These  explanations  will 
be  evaluated  as  appropriate  data  become  available. 

More  female  than  male  bass  were  censused  every  year  except  1979.  The 
system-wide  harvest  rate  is  highly  variable  and  there  is  no  consistent  pattern 
favoring  either  sex.  In  the  Bay  area  apparently  females  are  more  abundant  than 
males  during  the  census  season.  Males  dominated  the  censused  catch  in  1979 
because  of  the  exceptional  evening  trolling  in  the  summer  which  exploited  small 
males  returning  from  spawning. 

Angler  success  during  1969-1979  generally  was  lower  than  in  1960  and  1961 
(Chadwick  and  Albrecht  1965)  when  bass  were  more  abundant  (Stevens  et  al. 
1985).  Differences  between  charter  boat  and  private  boat  success  and  between 
success  in  San  Francisco  and  San  Pablo  bays  were  similar  to  1960-1961. 

On  average,  charter  boat  anglers  were  twice  as  successful  as  private  boat 
anglers,  primarily  because  charter  boat  operators  are  skilled  at  fishing  and  know 
the  productive  locations.  Average  angler  success  also  varies  more  both  seasonal- 
ly and  annually  on  charter  boats  than  on  private  boats.  While  some  private  boat 
anglers  are  as  skilled  as  charter  boat  operators,  many  are  inexperienced  and  fish 
only  occasionally,  primarily  when  they  hear  good  reports.  Thus,  good  fishing 
results  in  increased  effort  on  both  charter  boats  and  private  boats,  but  average 
catch/angler  h  increases  less  on  private  boats  causing  less  variable  success 
statistics. 

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS 
Recognition  is  due  to  the  many  Department  of  Fish  and  Came  employees  who 
contributed  to  the  striped  bass  tagging  program,  the  creel  census,  and  the  proc- 
essing of  tag  returns  through  the  years.  J.  Bybee,  R.  Rogers  and  J.  Grant  super- 
vised the  creel  census  crews  through  1977.  I  thank  B.  Collins  for  suggestions 
regarding  statistical  analyses  and  D.  Stevens,  D.  Kohlhorst  and  H.  Chadwick  for 
their  critical  reviews  of  this  manuscript.  K.  Odenweller  drew  the  figures.  This 
work  was  performed  as  part  of  Dingell-Johnson  Project  F-9-R,  "A  Study  of 
Sturgeon,  Striped  Bass,  and  Resident  Fishes"  supported  by  Federal  Aid  to  Fish 
Restoration  Funds. 

LITERATURE  CITED 

Bailey,  N.  J.  ).  1951.  On  estimating  the  size  of  mobile  populations  from  recapture  data.  Biometrika,  38:293-306. 
Chadwick,  H.  K.  1967.  Recent  migrations  of  the  Sacramento-San  Joaquin  striped  bass  population.  Am.  Fish.  Sot., 

Trans.,  96(3):327-342. 

1968.  Mortality  rates  in  the  California  striped  bass  population.  Calif.  Fish  Game,  54(4):228-246. 

Chadwick,  H.  K.,  and  A.  B.  Albrecht.  1965.  The  summer  and  fall  striped  bass  fishery  during  1960  and  1961.  Calif. 

Dept.  Fish  and  Came,  Inland  Fish.  Br.  Admin.  Rept.  No.  65-11.  27  pp. 
Grant,  |.  ).  1977.  Evaluation  of  striped  bass  party  boat  log  reporting  for  the  Sacramento-San  Joaquin  Estuary  from 

1969  to  1974.  Calif.  Fish  Game  Anad.  Fish.  Br.  Admin.  Rept.  No.  77-8.  20  pp. 
Kohlenstein,  L.  C.  1 981 .  On  the  proportion  of  the  Chesapeake  Bay  stock  of  striped  bass  that  migrates  into  the  coastal 

fishery.  Am.  Fish.  Soc,  Trans.,  110(11:168-179. 
Miller,  L.  W.  1974.  Mortality  rates  for  California  striped  bass  (Morone  saxatilis)  from  1965-1971 .  Calif.  Fish  Game, 

60(4)157-171. 
Orsi,  J.  J.  1971.  The  1965-1967  migrations  of  the  Sacramento-San  Joaquin  Estuary  striped  bass  population.  Calif 

Fish  Game,  57(1  ):257-267. 


THE  STRIPED  BASS  SPORT  FISHERY  37 

Radovich,  |.  19M.  Effect  of  ocean  temperature  on  the  seaward  movements  of  striped  bass,  Roccus  saxatilis,  on 

the  Pacific  coast.  Calif.  Fish  Came.  49(3):191-206. 
Sokal,  R.  R  ,  and  F    I.  Rohlf   19f,9.  Biometry.  W.  H    Freeman  and  Co.  776  pp. 

Stevonv  D.  t    1 966  Food  h.ibits  of  striped  bass,  Roccus  saxatilis,  in  the  Sacramento-San  Joaquin  Delta.  Calif.  Dept. 

Fish  and  Came.  Fish    Bull    (1*6)  68-96. 
Stevens.  D.  E.  1977,1.  Striped  bass  ( Mnrone  saxatilis)  monitoring  techniques  in  the  Sacramento-San  loaquin  Estuary. 

Pages  91-109.  in:  W.  Van  Winkle,  ed.  Proc.  of  the  Conf  on  Assessing  the  Effects  of  Power-Plant-lnduced 

Mortality  on  Fish  Populations.  Pergamon  Press,  Inc.,  New  York. 

1 977fc.  Striped  bass  ( Morone  saxatilis)  year  class  strength  in  relation  to  river  flow  in  the  Sacramento-San 

loaquin  Estuary,  California.  Am.  Fish.  Soc,  Trans.,  106(1  ):34— 42. 

Stevens,  D.  E.,  D.  W.  Kohlhorst,  L.  W.  Miller  and  D.  W.  Kelley.  1985.  The  decline  of  striped  bass  in  the  Sacramento- 
San  loaquin  Estuary.  Am.  Fish.  Soc,  Trans.,  1141 1 ) :  1 2—30. 


38  CALIFORNIA  FISH  AND  CAME 

Calif.  Fish  and  Came  72(1):  38-^»6     1 986 

FOOD  OF  JUVENILE  CHINOOK,  ONCORHYNCHUS  TSHA- 

WYTSCHA,  AND  COHO,  O.  KISUTCH,  SALMON  OFF  THE 

NORTHERN  OREGON  AND  SOUTHERN  WASHINGTON 

COASTS,  MAY-SEPTEMBER  1980  l 

ROBERT  L.  EMMETT,  DAVID  R.  MILLER,  and  THEODORE  H.  BLAHM 

Coastal  Zone  and  Estuarine  Studies  Division 

Northwest  and  Alaska  Fisheries  Center 

National  Marine  Fisheries  Service 

National  Oceanic  and  Atmospheric  Administration 

2725  Montlake  Boulevard  East 

Seattle,  Washington     98112 

The  food  of  juvenile  chinook,  Oncorhynchus  tshawytscha,  and  coho,  O.  kisutch, 
salmon  captured  in  the  northern  Oregon  and  southern  Washington  coastal  zones 
during  three  cruises,  May-September  1980,  is  described.  Fishes  were  primary  prey  for 
both  species  during  the  first  cruise.  Although  diets  overlapped,  fishes  and  crab  larvae 
were  primary  prey  for  chinook  salmon  in  the  second  cruise,  while  fishes  and  the 
euphausiid  Thysanoessa  spinifera  were  important  prey  for  coho  salmon.  During  the 
third  cruise,  hyperiid  amphipods  were  primary  prey  for  both  species.  There  were 
relatively  few  empty  stomachs  during  any  cruise.  Fullness  values  are  used  to  discuss 
possible  food  limitations. 

INTRODUCTION 

Individuals  and  resource  agencies  interested  in  the  perpetuation  of  Pacific 
salmon,  Oncorhynchus  spp.,  in  the  Pacific  Northwest  are  becoming  more  aware 
of  the  need  to  understand  the  ecology  of  salmon  in  the  marine  environment. 
Fewer  adult  returns  of  coho  salmon,  O.  kisutch,  even  though  hatchery  produc- 
tion has  been  increasing,  has  recently  stimulated  interest  in  this  species  habits 
(Gunsolus  1978).  Biologists  have  concluded  that  reduced  upwelling  off  the 
Pacific  Northwest  coast  has  lowered  primary  production  and  thus  the  carrying 
capacity  for  salmonids  (Oregon  Department  of  Fish  and  Wildlife  1982). 

Adequate  early  marine  feeding  is  apparently  a  critical  factor  in  determining  the 
resultant  number  of  adult  salmon  returns  (Healey  1980),  and  yet  there  are  only 
limited  data  concerning  the  food  of  juvenile  salmon  in  marine  waters.  Previous 
food  studies  of  salmonids  in  coastal  waters  of  Oregon  and  Washington  ( Reimers 
1964)  and  other  Pacific  areas  (Silliman  1941,  Merkel  1957,  Andrievskaya  1957, 
Allen  and  Aron  1958,  Ito  1964,  LeBrasseur  1966)  have  been  concerned  primarily 
with  adults.  Recently,  Healey  (1978,  1980)  described  the  food  habits  of  juvenile 
chinook,  O.  tshawytscha,  and  coho  salmon  collected  in  British  Columbia  marine 
waters  during  spring  and  summer.  Peterson,  Brodeur  and  Pearcy  ( 1 983 )  present- 
ed food  habit  data  of  juvenile  chinook  and  coho  salmon  captured  in  coastal 
waters  of  Oregon  and  southern  Washington  in  June  1979. 

This  paper  provides  additional  information  on  the  feeding  of  juvenile  salmon 
in  the  coastal  waters  of  northern  Oregon  and  southern  Washington  during  the 
spring  and  summer  of  1980. 

METHODS 
Fishes  for  this  study  were  collected  with  a  purse  seine  (495  x  30  m)  from  10 


'  Accepted  for  publication  March  1985. 


JUVENILE  CHINOOK  AND  COHO  FOOD  39 

five-station,  east-west  transects  between  Tillamook  Bay,  Oregon,  and  Copalis 
Head,  Washington,  ( Figure  1 ) .  The  net  was  constructed  of  32-mm  knotted  nylon 
web  with  30  meshes  of  127-mm  nylon  hung  along  the  bottom  above  the  lead 
line.  The  bunt  was  made  of  18-mm  knotted  nylon  web.  Three  cruises  were 
conducted  beginning  27  May  1980,  4  July  1980,  and  28  August  1980;  one  day 
of  sampling  time  was  allotted  per  transect  during  each  cruise.  Descriptions  of 
the  sampling  vessel,  equipment,  water  quality  measurements,  fish  processing, 
and  overall  catch,  along  with  distribution,  abundance,  and  growth  of  juvenile 
salmonids  during  the  cruises  can  be  found  in  Miller,  Williams,  and  Sims  ( 1 983 ) . 

The  first  10  individuals  of  each  species  (if  available)  from  each  seine  set  were 
taken  for  stomach  analysis.  All  salmonids  having  a  coded  wire  tag  (CWT), 
recognized  by  the  absence  of  an  adipose  fin,  were  also  sampled.  Fish  selected 
for  feeding  analysis  were  measured  (fork  length,  mm)  and  their  stomachs  were 
removed  and  fixed  in  a  4%  formaldehyde  solution.  In  the  laboratory,  stomachs 
were  transferred  to  70%  ethyl  alcohol.  Approximately  600  stomachs  were  col- 
lected; however,  not  all  the  stomachs  could  be  analyzed  because  of  time  and 
funding  constraints.  All  CWT  salmon  were  examined  first  and  a  random  subsam- 
ple  of  the  remaining  fish  was  selected  to  provide  at  least  50  stomachs  from  each 
salmon  species  from  each  cruise,  except  Cruise  2  where  all  stomachs  collected 
were  examined  because  so  few  fish  were  caught.  Twenty-one  percent  of  the  fish 
analyzed  were  CWT  fish. 

Stomach  contents  were  identified  to  the  lowest  possible  taxa  with  the  aid  of 
a  10X  binocular  microscope.  Food  items  were  counted,  blotted,  air  dried  for  10 
min,  and  weighted  to  the  nearest  0.1  mg. 

Stomach  content  data  were  presented  graphically  using  a  method  similar  to 
that  of  Pinkas,  Oliphant,  and  I verson  ( 1 971 ) ,  where  percent  number  and  percent 
weight  of  prey  items  are  represented  on  the  vertical  axis  and  percent  frequency 
of  occurrence  of  prey  items  on  the  horizontal  axis.  To  evaluate  the  importance 
of  each  prey  item  we  calculated  an  Index  of  Relative  Importance  (IRI)  (Pinkas 
et  al.  1971): 

IRI    =    F  (N+W) 

where 

IRI   =   Index  of  Relative  Importance, 

F   =   percent  frequency  of  occurence  of  a  prey  item  for  a  fish 
species, 

N   =   percent  number  of  a  prey  for  a  fish  species,  and 
W  =   percent  weight  of  a  prey  item  for  a  fish  species. 
The  relative  importance  of  a  particular  prey  item  can  be  more  easily  identified 
by  expressing  IRI  values  as  percents.  Percent  IRI  was  calculated  using  the  for- 
mula 

IRI 
%  IRI,   =  ^-   X    100 

IRI  , 

where 

%  IRI  j  =   Percent  Index  of  Relative  Importance  for  prey  item  i, 

IRI  i  =   Index  of  Relative  Importance  for  prey  item  i,  and 

IRI ,  =  total  of  all  Indexes  of  Relative  Importance  values  for  prey 
items  of  predator. 


40 


CALIFORNIA  FISH  AND  CAME 


124°  40' 


124°  W 


•  • 


WASHINGTON 


47°  N 


46°  40' 


46°  20' 


45°  40' 


FIGURE   1.     Transects  and  stations  sampled  during  offshore  purse  seining  for  juvenile  salmonids, 
May-September  1980. 


JUVENILE  CHINOOK  AND  COHO  FOOD  41 

Diet  overlap  values  were  calculated  between  the  two  species  for  each  cruise 
to  determine  the  potential  for  competition. 

C  =  2 


s 

s 

s 

2  XiY, 

/  2  X2 

+ 

2  Y2 

i  =  1 

i  =  1 

i=1 

where 

C  =  overlap  coefficient, 

s  =  food  categories  (lowest  possible  taxa), 

X  i  =  %  weight  contributed  by  food  item  i  for  fish  species  X 
(chinook  salmon),  and 

Y  |  =  %  weight  contributed  by  same  food  item  i  for  fish  species  Y 
(coho  salmon). 

C  ranges  from  0  (no  diet  overlap)  to  1  (complete  overlap).  Values  >0.6  are 
believed  to  indicate  significant  overlap  (Zaret  and  Rand  1971). 

An  index  of  fullness  was  used  to  identify  possible  differences  in  feeding 
intensity.  Fullness  was  evaluated  by  subjectively  rating  stomachs  1  to  7,  with  1 
being  empty  and  7  distended  (Terry  1976). 

RESULTS 

Food 

The  food  of  juvenile  chinook  salmon  sampled  during  the  three  cruises  com- 
prised six  major  prey  groups  (Figure  2).  For  chinook  salmon  captured  during 
Cruise  1,  fishes  were  the  most  important  prey  with  crab  larvae  secondary.  In 
Cruise  2,  fishes  were  again  the  most  important  prey,  although  crab  larvae  were 
more  important  than  in  Cruise  1.  During  Cruise  3,  hyperiid  amphipods  replaced 
fishes  as  chinook  salmon  primary  prey.  For  coho  salmon  captured  during  Cruise 
1 ,  fishes  were  the  primary  prey  with  crab  larvae,  calanoid  copepods,  the  gamma- 
rid  amphipod  Atylus  tridens,  and  other  invertebrates  being  secondary  ( Figure  2 ) . 
In  Cruise  2,  fishes  were  still  primary  prey  for  juvenile  coho  salmon,  but  the 
euphausiid  Thysanoessa  spinifera  was  also  important.  In  Cruise  3,  hyperiid  am- 
phipods were  primary  prey  for  coho  salmon,  with  the  pelagic  gastropod  Limaci- 
na  sp.  secondary. 

Besides  differences  in  the  IRI  values  of  major  prey  groups  (fish,  crab  larvae, 
etc. )  between  cruises,  there  were  also  changes  in  the  species  composition  within 
prey  groups  for  both  species  of  salmon  ( Figures  3  and  4) .  For  example,  in  Cruise 

1,  sand  lance,  Ammodytes  hexapterus;  rockfish,  Sebastes  spp.,  unidentified  Os- 
meridae,  and  digested  fish  constituted  most  of  the  consumed  fish;  but  in  Cruise 

2,  Sebastes  spp.  alone  constituted  most  of  the  consumed  fish.  In  Cruise  3, 
northern  anchovy,  Engraulis  mordax,  and  Pacific  herring,  Clupea  harengus  pal- 
lasi,  were  the  fish  primarily  consumed.  The  species  composition  of  crab  larvae 
consumed  also  changed  between  surveys.  In  Cruise  1,  chinook  and  coho  salmon 
fed  on  Dungeness  crab,  Cancer  magister  (megalops);  hermit  crab,  Pagurus  spp. 
(megalops);  and  porcelain  crab,  Porcellanidae  (megalops);  whereas,  in  Cruise 
2,  crab  larvae  were  primarily  Oregon  cancer  crab,  Cancer  oregonensis  (mega- 
lops). 


42 


CALIFORNIA  FISH  AND  CAME 


100  r 


c 

0) 

(J 
a; 

Q. 


50 


FIGURE  2. 


Cruise  1 


O 


m 


Fishes 
■  +  ■;       Crab  larvae 

Panda/as  /ordani 
Other 


At  y  I  us  tndens 
KSN     Calanoid  copepods 
Hypernd  amphipods 

Limacina  sp. 


Cruise  2 


Cruise  3 


!><]      Thysandessa  spimfera 

The  food  of  juvenile  chinook  salmon,  Oncorhynchus  tshawytscha,  and  juvenile  coho 
salmon,  O.  kisutch,  captured  by  purse  seine  off  northern  Oregon  and  southern  Wash- 
ington during  three  cruises  in  1980.  Food  is  represented  by  Percent  Index  of  Relative 
Importance  (%IRI). 


CRUISE  i 

28  May  -  7  June 


CRUISE  3 

28  August  -  9  September 


100-1 


Percent 
number 


Percent 
weignt 


100 


n=  52     (3  empty) 


100 -, 


0     c   Y   s 


m^ 


00 


EE 


//  w 


J£ 


50       30  25  20  20151Q5 


Percent 
number 


Percent 

weight 


100 


n 

=  52 

(2  empty) 

X^=  236.0  mm 

BB 

Z 

II           CC 

G 

F 

JJ    KK 

1 

n 

I 

\Jr 

1 

— n 

75  50 

Percent  frequency  of  occurrence 


CRUISE  2 

4  July  -  14  July 


100 


Percent 

number 


Percent 

weiytit 


100 


n=  70   (9  empty) 


AA 


BB 


FF|-|GG 

HJVhh 


1 1 1 1 — I 1    I  ill 

35      35    25  25  20  2015. 


C  Cancer  magister  (megalops) 

F  Digested  fish 

G  Clupea  harengus  pa/lasi 

0  Ammodytes  hexapterus 
P  Pagurus  spp.  (megalops) 
S  Unidentified  Osmeridae 

V  Cirnpedia  (larvae) 

W  Porcellanidae  (megalops) 

Y  Sebastes  spp. 

Z  Thysandessa  spimfera 

AA  Cancer  oregonensis   (megalops) 

BB  Hyperoche  medusarurn 

CC  Limacina  spp. 

DD  Pandalus  /ordani 

EE  Unidentified  Pleuioiiectidae 

FF  Vibilia  cultripes 

GG  Neomysis  kadiakensis 

HH  Spir menus  tnaleichthys 

1  I  Parathemistu  pacitica 
J  J  Engraulis  mordax 
KK  Sayitta   sp. 


J10  5 

Percent  frequency  of  occurrence 

t  k  .uRE  3.  Food  ot  juvenile  chinook  salmon,  Oncorhynchus  tshdvyytscha,  captuied  by  pur>>e  seint- 
uti  northern  Oregon  and  southern  Washington  during  three  cruises  in  lytH).  Food  is 
represented  by  numeric  and  gravimetric  composition  and  by  frequency  ot  occurrence 
(n   =  sample  size,  X  =  mean  fork  length).  Prey  items  less  than  3%  are  ummed. 


JUVENILE  CHINOOK  AND  COHO  FOOD 


43 


CRUISE  1 

28  May  -  7  June 


100 


Percent 
number 


Percent 
weight 


100 


COP 


n-=  50     (2  empty) 
X.=  167.0  mm 


nJUu 

X 
Y 


1 — I      I    in  imiimi 

50     20  201 5  Yq       g 


CRUISE  3 

28  August  -  9  September 


100-, 


Percent 
number 


Percent 
weight 


100 


BB 


CC 


n=  50    (0  empty) 
X.*  258.8  mm 


G       F  JJ  GG 

tzrcf 


— i — i — i — i — 1 1 1 1 

80  50  50         50        35    201510 

Percent  frequency  of  occurrence 


100 


Percent 
number 


Percent 
weight 


100 


AA 


37       (3  empty) 
-  188.4  mm 


BB 


E3=«J/" 


c 

F 
G 
N 
O 
P 
Q 
R 
S 
T 
U 
V 

w 

X 
Y 

z 


1 1 1 1 — r— rn 

35    30    25  25  2015,\,\ 
10  3 

Percent  frequency  of  occurrence 


Cancer  magister  (megalops) 
Digested  fish 
CRUISE  2  G     Clupea  harrengus  pallasi 

4  July  — 14  July  N     Calanoid  copepods 

Ammodytes  hexapterus 
Pagurus  spp.  (megalops) 
Pinnixa  spp.  (megalops) 
Atylus  tridens 
Unidentified  Osmeridae 
Cancer  magister  (zoea) 
Cancer  oregonensis  (zoea) 
Cirripedia  (larvae) 
Porcellanidae  (megalops) 
Porcellanidae  (zoea) 
Sebastes  spp. 
Thysanoessa  spinifera 

AA  Cancer  oregonensis  (megalops) 

BB    Hyperoche  medusarum 

CC   Limacina  spp. 

GG  Neomysis  kadiakensis 

I  I    Parathemisto  pacifica 
JJ    Engraulis  mordax 

FIGURE  4.  Food  of  juvenile  coho  salmon,  Oncorhynchus  kisutch,  captured  by  purse  seine  off 
northern  Oregon  and  southern  Washington  during  three  cruises  in  1980.  Food  is  repre- 
sented by  percent  numerjc  and  gravimetric  composition  and  by  frequency  of  occur- 
rence (n  =  sample  size,  X  =  mean  fork  length).  Prey  items  less  than  3%  are  omitted. 

Diet  Overlap 

Diet  overlap  for  the  two  salmon  species  was  highest  in  Cruise  1  (C  =  0.91 ) 
and  lowest  for  Cruise  3  (C  =  0.71 );  Cruise  2  diet  overlap  value  was  0.90.  This 
indicated  significant  diet  overlap  for  all  three  cruises.  During  Cruises  1  and  2, 
chinook  and  coho  salmon  utilized  similar  fish  species  for  primary  prey,  whereas 
during  Cruise  3,  chinook  salmon  consumed  proportionally  more  fish  than  did 
coho  salmon,  which  ate  more  Limacina  sp.  (Figure  2). 

Fullness 

The  intensity  of  feeding  in  juvenile  chinook  and  coho  salmon  changed 
between  cruises  (Table  1 ).  The  lowest  percentage  of  empty  stomachs  for  both 
salmon  species  occurred  during  Cruise  3;  the  highest  occurred  in  Cruise  2.  The 
largest  percentage  of  stomachs  that  were  half  full  or  better  (percent  index  of 
fullness  values  of  >4)  occurred  in  Cruise  3  for  both  chinook  and  coho  salmon. 
The  lowest  percentage  of  stomachs  that  were  half  full  or  better  occurred  in 
Cruise  2  for  chinook  salmon  and  Cruise  1  for  coho  salmon. 


/ 

2 

3 

4 

5 

6 

7 

>  4 

(%) 

(%) 

(%) 

(%) 

(%) 

(%) 

(%) 

(%) 

5.8 

13.5 

5.8 

19.2 

25.0 

21.2 

13.5 

78.9 

12.2 

5.4 

13.5 

16.2 

8.1 

14.9 

29.7 

68.9 

3.8 

3.9 

5.8 

11.5 

11.5 

19.2 

44.2 

91.7 

3.8 

21.2 

17.3 

21.2 

13.5 

9.6 

13.5 

57.8 

7.9 

7.8 

2.6 

7.9 

5.3 

28.9 

39.5 

81.5 

0.0 

6.0 

2.0 

18.0 

12.0 

24.0 

38.0 

92.0 

44  CALIFORNIA  FISH  AND  CAME 


TABLE  1.  Fullness  of  Juvenile  Chinook,  Oncorhynchus  tshawytscha,  and  Coho,  O.  kisutch, 
Salmon  Captured  by  Purse  Seine  During  Three  Cruises  Off  the  Coasts  of  Northern 
Oregon  and  Southern  Washington  in  Spring  and  Summer  1980.  Fish  Taken  Were 
Divided  into  Categories  of  Fullness  Ranging  from  1  (Stomach  Empty)  to  7 
(Stomach  Fully  Distended). 

Species  Index  of  fullness  values 

Cruise  no.  and  date 

Chinook  salmon 

1  (28  May-7June) 

2  (4-15  July) 

3  (28  August-9  September 

Coho  salmon 

1  (28  May-7)une) 

2  (4-15  July) 

3  (28  August-9  September)  

DISCUSSION 

Our  data  indicate  that  the  food  of  juvenile  chinook  and  coho  salmon  changes 
from  spring  to  late  summer  off  the  northern  Oregon  and  southern  Washington 
coasts.  This  change  is  probably  directly  related  to  changes  in  prey  availability 
and  abundance.  The  importance  of  juvenile  nonsalmonid  fishes  to  juvenile 
chinook  and  coho  salmon  diets  in  the  spring  correlates  closely  with  abundance 
of  coastal  fish  larvae  populations  off  Yaquina  Bay,  Oregon,  from  February 
through  July  (Richardson  and  Pearcy  1977).  The  importance  of  hyperiid  amphi- 
pods  in  juvenile  chinook  and  coho  salmon  diets  in  late  summer  is  probably 
related  to  their  relative  abundance  at  this  time.  Lorz  and  Pearcy  (1975)  found 
that  the  hyperiid  amphipod  species  commonly  consumed  in  this  study  were 
most  abundant  in  plankton  off  Newport,  Oregon,  in  late  summer  and  fall.  There 
is  evidence  that  many  hyperiid  amphipods  species  have  parasitoid  relationships 
to  jellyfish  and  other  gelatinous  plankton  (Laval  1980).  Therefore,  jellyfish  popu- 
lation dynamics  may  be  an  important  component  of  juvenile  salmonid  feeding 
at  certain  times. 

Previous  studies  of  juvenile  chinook  and  coho  salmon  marine  feeding  indicate 
simliar  foods.  Peterson  et  al.  (1983)  found  fishes  and  invertebrates  to  be  impor- 
tant prey  in  juvenile  chinook  and  coho  salmon  collected  off  Oregon  and  south- 
ern Washington  in  June  1979,  with  euphausiids,  amphipods,  and  crab  larvae 
numerically  important  and  fishes  gravimetrically  important.  Their  data  most 
closely  resemble  our  data  from  Cruise  2.  Healey  (1980)  observed  that  fish 
(mainly  Pacific  herring)  were  an  important  prey  of  juvenile  chinook  and  coho 
salmon  in  the  Strait  of  Georgia,  British  Columbia.  Our  data  indicate  that  herring 
were  important  only  in  late  summer.  The  difference  in  herring  consumption  is 
probably  a  result  of  availability.  Our  observations,  as  did  those  of  Healey  (1980) 
and  Peterson  et  al.  (1983),  showed  that  juvenile  salmon  fed  on  different  prey 
in  different  geographic  areas.  For  example,  in  Cruise  3,  chinook  and  coho  salmon 
captured  north  of  the  Columbia  River  consumed  many  anchovies;  whereas, 
south  of  the  Columbia  River  herring  were  an  important  prey  and  anchovies  were 
rarely  found  in  the  diet.  These  diet  differences  may  be  due  to  patchy  distributions 
of  prey  and  to  relative  prey  abundances.  There  also  appeared  to  be  a  possible 
seasonal  component  to  prey  patchiness  and/or  relative  abundance.  For  exam- 
ple, during  Cruise  3,  four  prey  items  occurred  in  at  least  50%  of  the  coho  salmon 


JUVENILE  CHINOOK  AND  COHO  FOOD  45 


stomachs,  but  in  Cruise  2,  no  item  had  a  frequency  of  occurrence  over  50%; 
in  Cruise  1  only  one  item  had  a  frequency  of  occurrence  over  50%. 

It  is  difficult  to  assess  the  time  of  poorest  feeding,  although  data  from  Cruise 
2  indicate  a  possible  reduction  in  feeding.  The  largest  percentage  of  empty 
stomachs  for  both  species  occurred  during  Cruise  2,  and  this  was  also  when 
chinook  salmon  had  the  fewest  stomachs  that  were  at  least  half  full.  Also,  in 
Cruise  2  the  fewest  juvenile  salmonids  were  captured  (Miller  et  al.  1983).  High 
ocean  temperature  (surface  water  temperatures  for  Cruise  2  averaged  15.2°C) 
may  have  caused  juvenile  salmon  to  move  into  deeper  water  where  they  could 
not  be  captured  by  purse  seine.  Godfrey  (1968)  found  poor  juvenile  salmonid 
captures  at  high  ocean  temperatures  off  British  Columbia.  Salmonids  may  also 
have  migrated  to  better  feeding  areas;  Healey  (1980)  found  a  direct  correlation 
between  coho  salmon  abundance  and  amounts  of  food  in  their  stomachs. 

Juvenile  chinook  and  coho  salmon  showed  a  large  degree  of  diet  overlap  for 
all  three  cruises.  High  diet  overlap  values  may  indicate  abundant  food  supply 
and  not  competition  (Zaret  and  Rand  1971 ).  The  high  diet  overlap  along  with 
the  low  percentage  of  empty  stomachs  and  relatively  high  percentage  of  sto- 
machs that  were  greater  than  half  full  are  evidence  that  no  food  shortages 
occurred  for  juvenile  chinook  and  coho  salmon  off  the  northern  Oregon  and 
southern  Washington  coasts  in  1980.  Growth  rates  derived  from  fishes  caught 
in  this  study  also  do  not  suggest  food  limitations  (Miller  et  al.  1983). 

An  important  component  of  the  feeding  habits  of  many  fish  species  is  the  time 
of  day.  Fish  used  in  this  study  were  collected  at  various  times  during  daylight 
hours,  yet  many  salmonid  species  have  diel  feeding  behavior  (Godin  1981). 
Prey  species  also  have  diel  behavior  patterns  (Alton  and  Blackburn  1972,  Young- 
bluth  1976)  which  may  affect  salmon  feeding  rates.  Peterson  et  al.  (1983)  found 
no  significant  differences  in  the  diets  of  salmon  collected  at  different  times  of 
the  day;  however,  their  information  was  collected  during  1  month  in  1979,  and 
they  combined  data  from  many  different  sampling  stations. 

To  accurately  assess  potential  limitations  of  salmonid  prey  in  coastal  waters 
will  require  a  more  rigorous  study.  Salmonid  digestion  rates,  migration  patterns, 
and  feeding  behavior,  along  with  prey  availability,  prey  distributions,  predation 
rates,  and  prey  population  dynamics  would  be  required.  Of  special  need  would 
be  a  sustained  series  of  offshore  collections  of  juvenile  salmon,  their  prey,  and 
other  biological  and  physical  data  during  both  weak  and  strong  upwelling  years. 
These  data  could  then  be  compared  to  assess  the  relationship  of  upwelling  to 
salmonid  feeding. 

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS 
We  thank  G.  McCabe,  J.  Monan,  and  D.  Damkaer  for  their  review  and  advice 
on  the  paper.  Particular  thanks  go  to  the  crew  of  the  FLAMINGO,  who  per- 
formed the  ocean  purse  seining. 

LITERATURE  CITED 

Allen,  C.  H.,  and  W.  Aron.  1958.  Food  of  salmonid  fishes  of  the  western  north  Pacific  Ocean.  U.S.  Fish  Wildl.  Serv., 
Special  Sci.  Rept.  237:1-11. 

Alton,  M.  S.,  and  C  J.  Blackburn.  1972.  Diel  changes  in  the  vertical  distribution  of  the  euphausiids,  Thysanoessa 
spinifera  Holmes,  and  Euphausia  pacifica  Hansen,  in  coastal  waters  of  Washington.  Calif.  Fish  Came, 
58(3):179-190. 

Andrievskaya,  L.  D.  1957.  The  food  of  Pacific  salmon  in  the  northwestern  Pacific  Ocean  (In  Russian).  Materially 
po  Biologii  Morsxovo  Perioda  Zhizni  Dalnevostochnykh  Lososei.  p.  69-75.  Moscow.  (Fish  Res.  Board  Can. 

Transl.  Ser.  182). 


46  CALIFORNIA  FISH  AND  CAME 


Godfrey,  H .  1 968.  Some  observations  of  juvenile  marine  chum,  chinook  and  coho  salmon  taken  in  waters  adjacent 
to  Georgia  Strait  in  1965.  Fish.  Res.  Board  Can.  MS  Rept.  955:1-19. 

Godin,  J.  G.  J.  1981 .  Daily  patterns  of  feeding  behavior,  daily  rations,  and  diets  of  juvenile  pink  salmon  (Oncorhyn- 
chus gorbuscha)  in  two  marine  bays  of  British  Columbia.  Can.  ).  Fish.  Aquat.  Sci.,  38:10-15. 

Gunsolus,  R.  T.  1978.  The  status  of  Oregon  coho  and  recommendations  for  managing  the  production,  harvest,  and 

escapement  of  wild  and  hatchery  reared  stocks.  Oreg.  Dep.  Fish  Wildl.,  Columbia  Region,  Portland,  Oreg., 

59  p. 
Healey,  M.  C.  1978.  The  distribution,  abundance,  and  feeding  habits  of  juvenile  Pacific  salmon  in  Georgia  Strait, 

British  Columbia.  Fish.  Mar.  Serv.  Tech.  Rep.  788:1^*9. 
1980.  The  ecology  of  juvenile  salmon  in  Georgia  Strait,  British  Columbia.  Pages  203-229  in,  W.  J.  McNeil 

and  D.  C.  Himsworth,  eds.,  Salmonid  ecosystems  of  the  North  Pacific,  Oreg.  St.  Univ.  Press,  Corvallis. 

Ito,  J.  1964.  Food  and  feeding  habits  of  Pacific  salmon  (Genus  Oncorhynchus)  in  their  ocean  life.  Bull.  Hokkaido 
Reg.  Fish.  Res.  Lab.  29:85-97.  (Fish.  Res.  Board  Can.  Transl.  Ser.  1309). 

Laval,  P.  1980.  Hyperiid  amphipods  as  crustacean  parasitoids  associated  with  gelatinous  zooplankton.  Oceanogr. 

Mar.  Bio.  Ann.  Rev.,  18:11-56. 
LeBrasseur,  R.  j.  1966.  Stomach  contents  of  salmon  and  steelhead  trout  in  the  northeastern  Pacific  Ocean.  Can., 

Fish.  Res.  Bd.,  ).,  23:85-100. 
Lorz  (Van  Arsdale),  H.,  and  W.  G.  Pearcy.  1975.  Distribution  of  hyperiid  amphipods  off  the  Oregon  coast.  Can., 

Fish.  Res.  Bd.,  J.,  32:1442-1447. 
Merkel,  T.  ).  1957.  Food  habits  of  king  salmon,  Oncorhynchus  tshawytscha  (Walbaum),  in  the  vicinity  of  San 

Francisco,  California.  Calif.  Fish.  Game,  43(4):249-270. 

Miller,  D.  R.,  J.  G.  Williams,  and  C.  W.  Sims.  1983.  Distribution,  abundance  and  growth  of  juvenile  salmonids  off 
the  coast  of  Oregon  and  Washington,  summer  1980.  Fish.  Res.  (Amsterdam)  2:1-17. 

Oregon  Department  of  Fish  and  Wildlife.  1982.  Comprehensive  plan  for  production  and  management  of  Oregon's 

anadromous  salmon  and  trout.  Part  2.  Coho  salmon  plan.  Oreg.  Dep.  Fish  Wildl.,  Fish  Div.,  Anadromous  Fish. 

Sect.,  Portland,  Oreg. 
Peterson,  W.  T.,  R.  D.  Brodeur,  and  W.  A.  Pearcy.  1983.  Feeding  habits  of  juvenile  salmonids  in  the  Oregon  coastal 

zone  in  )une  1979.  Fish  Bull.,  U.S.  80(4):  841-851. 
Pinkas,  L.,  M.  S.  Oliphant,  and  I.  L.  K.  Iverson.  1971.  Food  habits  of  albacore,  bluefin  tuna,  and  bonita  in  California 

waters.  Calif.  Dept.  Fish  Game,  Fish.  Bull.  (152):1-105. 

Reimers,  P.  E.  1964.  A  modified  method  of  analyzing  stomach  contents  with  notes  on  the  food  habits  of  coho 
salmon  in  the  coastal  waters  of  Oregon  and  southern  Washington.  Fish.  Comm.  Oreg.  Res.  Briefs  3:32-40. 

Richardson,  S.  L.,  and  W.  G.  Pearcy.  1977.  Coastal  and  oceanic  fish  larvae  in  an  area  of  upwelling  off  Yaquina 

Bay,  Oregon.  Fish.  Bull.,  U.S.  75:125-145. 
Silliman,  R.  P.  1941.  Fluctuations  in  the  diet  of  chinook  and  silver  salmon  (Oncorhynchus  tshawytscha  and  O. 

kisutch)  of  Washington  as  related  to  the  troll  catch  of  salmon.  Copeia,  2:80-87. 

Terry,  C.  1976.  Stomach  analysis  methodology:  still  lots  of  questions.  Pages  87-92.  in,  C.  A.  Simenstad  and  S.  J. 

Lipovsky,  (eds.),  Fish  Food  Habits  Studies,  1st  Pacific  Northwest  Technical  Workshop.  Univ.  Wash.  Press, 

Seattle. 
Youngbluth,  M.  1976.  Vertical  distribution  and  diel  migration  of  euphausiids  in  the  central  region  of  the  California 

current.  Fish.  Bull.,  U.S.  74:925-936. 
Zaret,  T.  M.,  and  A.  S.  Rand.  1971.  Competition  in  tropical  stream  fishes:  support  for  the  competitive  exclusion 

principle.  Ecology,  52:336-342. 


FALLOW  AND  BLACK-TAILED  DEER  CENSUS  47 

Calif.  Fish  and  Came  72(1):  47-61      1 986 

LINE-TRANSECT  CENSUSES  OF  FALLOW  AND  BLACK- 
TAILED  DEER  ON  THE  POINT  REYES  PENINSULA  i 

PETER  j.  P.  COCAN 

Department  of  Forestry  and  Resource  Management 

University  of  California 

Berkeley,  California  94720 

STEVEN  C.  THOMPSON  2 

WILLIAM  PIERCE  3 

Point  Reyes  National  Seashore 

Point  Reyes,  California     94956 

AND 

REGINALD  H.  BARRETT 

Department  of  Forestry  and  Resource  Management 

University  of  California 

Berkeley,  California  94720 

Fallow  and  black-tailed  deer  are  sympatric  on  Point  Reyes  Peninsula.  Management 
objectives  of  the  National  Park  Service  require  accurate  monitoring  of  trends  in 
numbers  and  composition  of  both  species.  Line  transect  sampling  was  coupled  with 
refined  estimation  techniques  to  calculate  density  of  fallow  deer  in  the  coastal 
prairie  habitat  type  and  for  black-tailed  deer  in  both  coastal  prairie  and  coastal  scrub 
habitat  types  and  in  a  mosaic  of  both  types.  Density  estimates  are  higher  (fallow — 
20.3/km  2:  black-tailed — 9.4-20.7/km  2)  than  recorded  by  other  census  techniques. 
Neither  species  was  observed  frequently  enough  in  the  forest  type  for  analysis.  The 
sampling  effort  required  to  generate  a  population  estimate  with  a  coefficient  of 
variation  of  20%  or  less  is  43  km  for  both  species  in  coastal  prairie,  and  83  km  and 
150  km  for  fallow  and  black-tailed  deer,  respectively,  in  coastal  scrub,  and  42  km  for 
black-tailed  deer  in  the  mosaic. 

INTRODUCTION 
The  introduction  of  pastoralism  to  the  Point  Reyes  Peninsula  in  the  1830's 
initiated  a  trend  which  has  continued  to  this  day.  The  species  composition  and 
abundance  of  large  herbivores  was  transformed  rapidly  from  one  of  tule  elk, 
Cervus  elaphus,  and  black-tailed  deer,  Odocoileus  hemionus,  to  include  cattle, 
Bos  taurus,  horses,  Equus  caballus,  pigs,  Sus  scrofa,  goats,  Capra  spp.,  and  sheep, 
Ovis  aries  (Toogood  1980).  This  stabilized  in  the  latter  part  of  the  19th  century 
with  extirpation  of  the  tule  elk  (Mason  1970),  elimination  of  pigs  and  range 
horses,  and  establishment  of  productive  dairies  (Toogood  1980).  The  indige- 
nous human  population  died  off  or  was  resettled  (Toogood  1980).  Land  was 
cleared  of  brush  to  increase  pastorage  and  for  silage  production,  and  a  wide 
range  of  exotic  plants  was  introduced  (Heady  et  al.  1977).  Grizzly  bear,  Ursus 
arctos,  were  extirpated  sometime  after  the  1860's  (Van  Atta  1946),  and  moun- 
tain lion,  Felis  concolor,  were  possibly  absent  from  the  early  1930's  through  the 
early  1970's.  Numbers  of  golden  eagles,  Aquila  chrysaetos,  and  bald  eagles, 
Haliaeetus  leucocephalus,  were  greatly  reduced.  Coyote,  Canis  latrans,  were 
eliminated  in  the  1940's  (Clark  1982),  but  have  been  sighted  sporadically  since 
1982.  A  population  of  red  foxes,  Vulpes  vulpes,  has  become  established  in  the 

'  Accepted  tor  publication  May  1985.  This  is  Welder  Wildlite  Foundation  Contribution  Number  155. 

2  Mr.  Thompson's  present  address:  Division  of  Wildlite  and  Fisheries  Biology,  University  of  California,  Davis, 

California  95616. 
1  Mr.  Pierce  s  present  address:  Shenandoah  National  Park,  Luray,  Virginia  22835. 


48  CALIFORNIA  FISH  AND  CAME 

vicinity  of  the  Point  Reyes  Headlands  as  the  result  of  an  unauthorized  introduc- 
tion. In  the  1940's,  populations  of  axis  deer,  Axis  axis,  and  fallow  deer,  Dama 
dama,  were  established  (Wehausen  and  Elliott  1982).  Tule  elk  were  reintro- 
duced in  1978.  Sympatric  use  of  rangelands  by  wild  and  domestic  ungulates  has 
led  to  the  establishment  of  livestock  diseases  in  the  wild  ungulate  populations 
(Rafiquzzaman  1977,  Riemann  et  al.  1977,  Jessup  et  al.  1981). 

Little  is  known  of  the  impact  of  these  activities  on  numbers  and  distribution 
of  the  resident  population  of  black-tailed  deer.  Generally,  California's  deer  popu- 
lations were  reduced  markedly  between  1849  and  1900  (Longhurst,  Leopold, 
and  Dasmann  1952).  However,  numbers  of  native  deer  in  California's  north- 
coastal  counties  have  been  declining  since  1969  (Longhurst  et  al.  1976).  The 
magnitude  of  any  shift  in  numbers  of  black-tailed  deer  on  the  Point  Reyes 
Peninsula  is  unknown. 

With  the  establishment  of  Point  Reyes  National  Seashore  in  the  1960's,  pastor- 
alism  was  halted  over  much  of  the  peninsula.  However,  the  Seashore's  natural 
resource  management  plan  (National  Park  Service  1976)  delineates  a  pastoral 
zone  in  which  traditional  livestock  production  is  to  be  permitted  to  continue.  The 
plan  also  calls  for  limiting  numbers  of  exotic  deer  to  no  more  than  350  of  each 
species  while  maintaining  a  healthy  population  of  black-tailed  deer.  A  direct 
reduction  program  undertaken  by  Seashore  staff  in  the  pastoral  zone  removed 
several  hundred  exotic  deer  between  1976  and  1981.  Axis  deer  remain  confined 
to  the  pastoral  zone  and  total  approximately  250  (Thompson,  unpubl.  data). 
Fallow  deer  were  estimated  to  number  523  in  1977  (Wehausen  and  Elliott  1982). 
Frequent  observations  of  fallow  deer  suggest  that  their  numbers  have  continued 
to  increase.  The  population  is  widespread  over  much  of  the  peninsula.  Conse- 
quently, the  exotic  deer  reduction  program  was  extended  into  the  southern  zone 
in  1980. 

The  management  mandate  requires  manipulation  of  exotic  deer  populations 
coupled  with  an  ability  to  monitor  trends  in  numbers  and  distribution  of  all  deer 
species.  The  Seashore's  deer  populations  have  been  censused  sporadically  by 
aerial  total  counts  (Wehausen  and  Elliott  1982)  and  sample  area  counts  (Das- 
mann and  Taber  1955,  Elliott,  unpubl.  data,  Nystrome  and  Stone,  unpubl.  data, 
Thompson,  unpubl.  data),  and  by  drive  counts  (Elliott,  Wehausen,  and  Barrett, 
unpubl.  data).  However,  each  method  has  serious  disadvantages.  The  tendency 
to  underestimate  population  size  by  total  counts  is  well  documented  (Norton- 
Griffiths  1978),  as  is  the  potential  of  observers  in  aerial  counts  to  underestimate 
group  size  or  overlook  groups  (Graham  and  Bell  1969,  Pennycuick  and  Western 
1972,  Caughley  1974).  Sample  area  counts  require  a  novice  observer  to  spend 
at  least  4  months  becoming  familiar  with  the  area's  topography  and  the  distribu- 
tion and  habits  of  the  target  species  (Elliott,  unpubl.  data). 

As  an  alternative,  we  elected  to  explore  the  feasibility  of  making  annual 
population  estimates  of  deer  numbers  on  the  Point  Reyes  Peninsula  using  line- 
transect  censuses.  Specific  objectives  of  the  southern  zone  censuses  were  to:  ( i ) 
estimate  fallow  deer  densities,  age  and  sex  composition,  and  color  phase,  (ii) 
evaluate  changes  in  the  above  relative  to  the  reduction  program,  (iii)  estimate 
black-tailed  deer  densities,  age  and  sex  composition,  and  (iv)  detect  any  disper- 
sal of  axis  deer  into  the  area. 

The  objective  of  the  pastoral  zone  census  was  to  estimate  black-tailed  deer 
densities,  age,  and  sex  composition. 


FALLOW  AND  BLACK-TAILED  DEER  CENSUS 


49 


Results  from  censuses  in  both  areas  were  used  to  calculate  the  sampling 
intensity  required  to  obtain  a  population  estimate  with  a  coefficient  of  variation 
of  20%  or  less. 

STUDY  AREA 

The  Point  Reyes  Peninsula  lies  about  32  km  northwest  of  San  Francisco, 
California,  immediately  west  of  the  San  Andreas  fault  zone  ( Figure  1 ) .  Inverness 
Ridge  forms  a  backbone  along  the  peninsula,  rising  to  a  height  of  448  m  at  Mount 
Wittenburg  and  dropping  abruptly  into  the  sea  at  Tomales  Point.  A  broad,  flat 
arm  protrudes  into  the  Pacific  Ocean. 


^\^      Sonoma  County 


Contra    Costa   County 


int  Reyes  Station 


pt  Re'yeTTIeaaianb-s- — 


FIGURE  1.     Location  of  the  pastoral  and  southern  zones  in  Point  Reyes  National  Seashore. 


50  CALIFORNIA  FISH  AND  CAME 


The  study  area  embraces  two  units  of  Point  Reyes  National  Seashore:  a 
southern  zone  of  11,150  ha,  chiefly  designated  wilderness,  and  a  pastoral  zone 
of  8,100  ha.  Ranching  activities  were  halted  in  all  but  a  few  peripheral  portions 
of  the  southern  zone  and  most  domestic  stock  were  removed  between  1 962  and 
1972.  A  network  of  former  ranch  roads  are  used  as  hiking  trails  by  large  numbers 
of  visitors.  Traditional  livestock  practices  continue  in  the  pastoral  zone,  including 
both  beef  and  dairy  ranches.  Annual  stocking  rates  average  0.33  animal  units/ha 
(Elliott  1982). 

The  vegetation  has  been  mapped  in  detail  (Lauer  1972)  and  may  be  catego- 
rized into  three  general  types  (Figure  2):  (i)  forest,  (ii)  coastal  scrub,  and  (iii) 
coastal  prairie  (Kuchler  1977).  The  forest  consists  of  extensive  stands  of  Dou- 
glas-fir, Pseudotsuga  menziesii,  and  California  laurel,  Umbellularia  califomica, 
with  riparian  woodlands  of  alders,  Alnus  spp.,  and  willows,  Salix  spp.  Stands  of 
Bishop  pine,  Pinus  muricata,  occur  along  the  eastern  boundary.  Coastal  shrub 
dominated  by  coyote  bush,  Baccharis  pilularis,  is  common  on  north-facing 
slopes.  Species  composition  is  more  diverse  and  includes  sagebrush,  Artemisia 
califomica,  and  poison  oak,  Rhus  diversiloba  (Grams  et  al.  1977) .  Coastal  prairie 
is  dominated  by  California  brome,  Bromus  carinatus,  tufted  hairgrass,  De- 
schampsia  caespitosa  and  sheep  sorrel,  Rumex  acetosella,  although  fallow  fields 
support  an  abundance  of  annuals  (Elliott  and  Wehausen  1974).  In  the  southern 
zone,  forest  is  the  most  extensive  habitat  type,  especially  abundant  in  the  south- 
eastern portion  of  the  area  (5,018  ha  or  45%  of  the  total  area)  (Figure  2). 
Coastal  scrub  lies  as  a  belt  intermediate  between  forest  and  prairie  (3,456  ha; 
31%).  Prairie  is  prevalent  in  the  northwest  section  and  occurs  elsewhere  as  a 
narrow  band  along  the  coastline  and  eastern  boundary  (2,676  ha;  24%).  In  the 
pastoral  zone  many  scrub  fields  have  been  cleared  to  favor  pastorage  produc- 
tion. Both  prairie  and  scrub  have  been  tilled  and  planted  to  a  combination  of 
oats,  Avena  saliva,  and  vetch,  Vicia  spp.,  for  silage  production  (Elliott  1982). 

METHODS 
Transects  were  run  by  Seashore  personnel;  the  resulting  data  were  analyzed 
with  program  TRANSECT  (Burnham,  Anderson,  and  Laake  1980)  on  an  IBM 
4341 A  computer  at  the  University  of  California,  Berkeley.  Three  censuses  were 
made  of  fallow  and  black-tailed  deer  in  the  southern  zone  in  1980,  1981,  and 
1982.  Black-tailed  deer  were  censused  in  the  pastoral  zone  once  in  1980.  Sam- 
pling methods  differed  only  slightly  between  the  southern  and  pastoral  zones. 
Transect  lines  were  located  differently  in  the  two  areas,  and  fallow  deer  were 
recorded  only  in  the  southern  zone.  Identical  procedures  were  used  to  estimate 
density  and  calculate  required  future  sampling  efforts. 

Location  of  Transects 
In  the  southern  zone,  the  distribution  of  the  three  habitat  types  was  plotted 
on  USGS  7.5-minute  quadrangle  maps  and  their  area  determined  by  applying  a 
dot-grid  transparency  (Avery  1975).  The  trail  system  was  broken  into  numbered 
1-km  sections.  Twenty  numbered  trail  sections  were  selected  at  random  within 
each  habitat  type.  The  ends  of  selected  sections  were  located  in  the  field  and 
marked  with  1-m  pieces  of  rebar.  Transects  were  walked  by  two-person  teams 
from  16  to  20  September  1980,  21  to  24  September  1981,  and  25-28  November 


FALLOW  AND  BLACK-TAILED  DEER  CENSUS 


51 


1982.  Team  movements  were  coordinated  to  ensure  that  deer  along  transects 
were  not  disturbed  prior  to  being  censused.  Counts  were  made  within  3  hours 
of  sunrise. 

In  the  pastoral  zone,  a  universal  transverse  mercator  (UTM)  grid  500  m  on 
each  side  was  applied  to  a  7.5-minute  USGS  map.  Points  along  the  main  road 
system  intersected  by  the  grid  were  numbered  and  30  points  were  selected  at 
random.  At  each  point,  a  direction  of  true  east  or  true  west  was  randomly 
selected.  A  line  1-km  in  length  was  laid  out  in  the  selected  direction.  We 
determined  whether  the  transect  traversed  any  obstacles  (ravines,  scrub  fields) 
judged  to  be  impassable  on  foot  by  use  of  a  combination  of  aerial  photographs, 
the  USGS  map,  and  on-site  inspection.  If  so,  the  alternate  direction  was  evaluat- 
ed under  the  same  criteria.  If  both  directions  were  considered  impassable,  the 
point  was  discarded  and  another  selected  at  random.  This  process  was  repeated 
until  30  1-km  transects  either  east  or  west  had  been  selected.  The  points  were 
marked  at  the  roadside  with  a  1.3-m  length  of  rebar.  Transects  were  traversed 
on  foot  by  two-person  teams  within  3  hours  of  sunrise  between  8  and  12 
December  1980.  Each  team  maintained  its  direction  by  compass  and  determined 
the  distance  traveled  by  pedometer  and  reference  to  aerial  photographs. 


PASTORAL 


FIGURE  2.     Distribution  of  vegetative  types  in  the  southern  zone  of  Point  Reyes  National  Seashore. 


52  CALIFORNIA  FISH  AND  GAME 

Data  Recorded 

Upon  sighting  deer,  observers  recorded  species,  group  size,  sighting  angle 
measured  with  a  compass,  and  sighting  distance  to  the  center  of  each  group, 
measured  with  an  optical  range  finder.  Group  composition  was  recorded  as 
adult  (1  +  years),  male  or  female  and  unsexed  fawns  for  both  deer  species. 
Color  phases  of  fallow  deer  were  recorded  as:  (i)  white,  (ii)  black,  and  (iii) 
other.  The  latter  category  consisted  of  both  "common"  and  "menil"  animals 
(Chapman  and  Chapman  1982),  not  readily  distinguished  in  the  field. 

Data  Analyses 

Each  group  is  treated  as  a  single  sighting.  Estimates  of  density  of  deer  groups 
were  calculated  from  appropriate  data  sets  with  the  Fourier  series,  exponential 
polynomial,  and  exponential  power  series  estimators  of  program  TRANSECT 
(Burnham  et  al.  1980).  Each  estimator  uses  a  different  model  to  describe  the 
probability  density  function  (PDF).  The  Fourier  series  is  recommended  as  a 
general  estimator  as  it  is  nonparametric  and  both,  "model  robust,  pooling  robust, 
and  has  the  shape  criterion  and  high  estimator  efficiency"  (Burnham  et  al. 
1980:133).  However,  the  Fourier  series  seriously  underestimates  density  if  ani- 
mals move  away  from  the  observer  prior  to  detection.  The  extent  to  which  deer 
move  away  from  the  transect  line  prior  to  detection  cannot  be  measured. 
However,  a  frequency  distribution  of  observation  distances  with  fewer  observa- 
tions in  the  grouping  interval  closer  to  the  observer  is  indicative  of  deer  move- 
ment away  from  the  observer  prior  to  detection.  The  exponential  power  series 
and  exponential  polynomial  estimators  are  more  robust  than  the  Fourier  series 
to  this  possibility.  A  chi-squared  test  of  the  distribution  of  observations  relative 
to  each  model's  PDF  provides  the  criteria  to  select  the  most  appropriate  model. 
A  sample  size  of  at  least  40  observations  is  recommended  (Burnham  etal.  1980). 
Only  our  sample  for  the  pastoral  zone  transects  exceeds  this  minimum.  Howev- 
er, we  analyzed  all  samples  of  30  or  more  observations.  Samples  of  between  30 
and  40  observations  may  be  expected  to  generate  numerically  reliable  estimates 
of  population  density  but  with  increased  variances  (Burnham,  pers.  commun.). 

All  observations  of  deer  in  the  southern  zone  over  300  m  from  the  line  of  travel 
were  omitted.  The  remainder  were  grouped  into  perpendicular  distance  classes 
of  0-30,  31-60,  61-90,  91-120,  121-180,  181-240,  and  241-300  m  prior  to 
analysis  by  program  TRANSECT  (Burnham  et  al.  1980).  Selection  of  a  width  of 
300  m  complies  with  the  recommendation  of  Burnham  et  al.  (1980)  of  removing 
the  effect  of  outlier  observations  while  maintaining  a  transect  width  considerably 
larger  than  the  mean  perpendicular  sighting  distance.  Observations  of  deer 
groups  in  the  pastoral  zone  were  truncated  at  a  perpendicular  distance  of  250 
m  and  grouped  into  30-m  intervals  to  120  m,  121  to  180  m,  and  181  to  250  m 
for  analysis  by  program  TRANSECT  (Burnham  et  al.  1980).  A  width  of  250  m 
ensured  no  overlap  between  adjacent  transect  lines.  Grouping  helps  remove  the 
effect  of  rounding  errors  and  observer  variation  in  measuring  sighting  distance 
and  angle  (Burnham,  Anderson,  and  Laake  1981). 

The  density  of  individuals  was  calculated  by  combining  an  estimate  of  group 
density  and  its  standard  error  with  the  mean  and  standard  error  of  group  size 
(Burnham  et  al.  1981:475).  The  standard  error  is  used  to  calculate  a  90% 
confidence  interval  of  the  estimate.  Numbers  were  obtained  by  multiplying  the 
density  estimate  by  the  area  calculated  for  each  habitat  type  in  the  southern 


FALLOW  AND  BLACK-TAILED  DEER  CENSUS  53 


zone  or  by  the  area  of  the  pastoral  zone. 

The  length  of  transect  line  required  for  a  desired  percent  coefficient  of  varia- 
tion based  upon  the  variability  of  a  pilot  survey  is  calculated  by  the  formula: 

b  L, 


L   = 


(CV2(D))2  n 


( Burnham  et  al.  1 980:36)  where  L  is  the  length  of  transect  line  required  to  obtain 
a  desired  coefficient  of  variation  (CV2(D))  and  n,  is  the  number  of  animal 
groups  sighted  in  a  pilot  census  of  length  L,.  The  factor  b  is  calculated  from  the 
formula: 

b  =  n,  (CV,(D))2 
where  n,  is  as  above  and  (CV,(D) )  is  the  coefficient  of  variation  of  the  pilot 
survey.  A  value  of  b  =  3  is  recommended  as  slightly  overestimating  the  sample 
required  (Burnham  et  al.  1980:35)  and  is  used  in  our  calculations. 

Estimates  were  made  of  the  length  of  transect  line  required  for  a  coefficient 
of  variation  of  20  percent  using  the  1980  counts  for  the  southern  zone  and  the 
single  count  for  the  pastoral  zone  as  pilot  surveys. 

RESULTS  AND  DISCUSSION 

Population  Composition 
Southern  Zone 

Fallow  and  black-tailed  deer  were  sighted  in  all  habitat  types  (Table  1 ).  No 
axis  deer  were  seen  in  the  southern  zone  in  any  year.  Thirty  or  more  groups  of 
fallow  deer  were  sighted  only  once  in  any  habitat  type.  Thirty  or  more  groups 
of  black-tailed  deer  were  sighted  in  grassland  in  all  years  and  in  scrub  in  1981. 
The  paucity  of  observations  of  both  species  in  the  forest  type  should  not  be 
interpreted  as  indicative  of  low  densities,  as  the  number  of  animals  sighted  is  a 
poor  index  to  density  (Burnham  et  al.  1981 ).  Rather,  it  simply  reflects  a  failure 
to  sight  adequate  numbers  for  analysis  at  our  sampling  intensity. 

The  number  of  groups  of  fallow  deer  sighted  declined  continuously  over  the 
3  years  (Table  1 ).  This  is  undoubtedly  due  in  part  to  the  removal  of  animals  but 
likely  is  attributable  also  to  a  general  shift  in  the  distribution  of  fallow  deer  away 
from  trails  and  out  of  the  area  in  response  to  shooting  pressure.  Rangers  ob- 
served a  concurrent  increase  in  the  abundance  of  fallow  deer  in  the  pastoral 
lands  to  the  north.  Movement  of  fallow  deer  in  response  to  shooting  has  been 
reported  elsewhere  (Chapman  and  Chapman  1982).  Similarly,  Houston  (1982) 
noted  that  elk  avoided  areas  adjacent  to  roads  for  a  number  of  years  following 
a  reduction  program.  A  Kruskall-Wallis  test  of  differences  in  mean  group  sizes 
between  habitat  types  for  all  years  was  highly  significant  (X2,  P  <  .001). 
Average  group  size  was  consistently  largest  in  the  prairie  type.  Schall  (1982) 
reported  similar  findings  in  Alsace  Province,  France. 

A  contingency  test  shows  the  proportions  of  age  and  sex  classes  of  fallow  deer 
for  all  years  (Table  2)  are  significantly  different  (X2,  P  <  .01 ).  The  ratio  of  males 
and  fawns  to  female  fallow  deer  was  notably  higher  in  1980  and  1981  than  in 
1982.  Partitioning  the  contingency  table  (Zar  1974)  revealed  a  non-significant 
difference  between  1980  and  1981  (X  2,  P  <  .10).  The  difference  between  the 
first  two  and  third  years  likely  reflects  a  difference  in  the  visibility  of  males  in 
September  1980  and  1981  in  contrast  to  November  1982,  and  a  low  proportion 
of  fawns  in  1982. 


54 


CALIFORNIA  FISH  AND  CAME 


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56  CALIFORNIA  FISH  AND  GAME 

The  age  ratios  reported  in  this  study  are  consistently  lower  than  observed  in 
the  1970's  (Wehausen  1973,  Wehausen  and  Elliott  1982). 

The  white  color  phase  was  predominant  in  the  original  introduction  (Wehaus- 
en 1973)  and  remains  prevalent  in  adults.  Few  fawns  are  classified  as  white 
because  the  white  phase  is  a  light  tan  color  through  the  first  year  of  life  (Wehaus- 
en 1 973 ) .  The  possibility  of  adult  color  or  group  size  influencing  detectability  of 
fallow  deer  measured  by  perpendicular  sighting  distance  was  investigated  by 
subjecting  the  1980  observations  to  a  3-way  analysis  of  variance  (Sokal  and 
Rohlf  1969)  on  the  effect  of:  (i)  habitat  type,  (ii)  group  size  classified  as  one 
or  greater  than  one,  and  (iii)  animal  color  classified  as  white  or  nonwhite.  A 
significant  (P  —  0.10)  difference  in  observability  was  found  only  between  habi- 
tat types.  Thus,  the  proportions  of  color  phases  may  be  considered  representa- 
tive. 

No  trend  was  evident  in  the  number  of  black-tailed  deer  groups  observed 
during  the  three  counts  (Table  1 ),  indicating  no  tendency  for  this  species  to 
move  away  from  trails  in  response  to  shooting.  The  higher  number  of  observa- 
tions in  1981  reflects  an  increase  in  sightings  in  scrub  for  one  year.  A  Kruskall- 
Wallis  test  of  differences  in  mean  group  sizes  between  habitat  types  was  non- 
significant (X2,  P  <  .14).  A  contingency  test  shows  differences  in  proportions 
of  age  and  sex  classes  between  years  (Table  3)  are  highly  significant  (X2,  P  < 
.0005).  The  ratio  of  males  and  fawns  to  female  black-tailed  deer  was  notably 
higher  in  1980  and  1981  than  in  1982.  Partitioning  the  contingency  (Zar  1974) 
revealed  a  non-significant  difference  between  1980  and  1981   (X2,  P  <  .25). 

TABLE  3.     Sex  and  Age  Composition  of  Black-tailed  Deer  in  the  Southern  Zone  of  Point 
Reyes  National  Seashore  in  1980,  1981,  and  1982.  Percent  given  in  parentheses. 

Year 

1980 

1981 

1982 


Total 

Sex  and 

age  class 

Males: 

deer 

Males 

Females 

Fawns 

Unknowns 

100  Females:  Fawns 

100 

40     (40) 

42     (42) 

14     (14) 

4     (4) 

95: 

100    :          33 

120 

56     (47) 

46     (38) 

16     (13) 

2     (2) 

122: 

100    :          35 

90 

20     (22) 

61      (68) 

9     (10) 

0 

33: 

100     :           15 

The  above  differences  likely  reflect  differences  in  the  timing  of  the  1980  and 
1981  censuses,  as  opposed  to  1982.  The  marked  decline  in  the  number  of  adult 
males:  100  females  in  1982  may  be  attributable  to  differences  in  the  behavior  of 
males  at  the  close  of  the  rut  in  late  November  (Dasmann  and  Taber  1956).  Adult 
males  are  likely  over-represented  in  herd  composition  counts  made  during  the 
rut  from  late  September  through  November  (Dasmann  and  Taber  1956,  Taber 
and  Dasmann  1958). 

Pastoral  Zone 


A  total  of  195  black-tailed  deer  in  54  groups  was  sighted  along  the  30  km  of 
transect  in  the  pastoral  zone.  Group  size  ranged  from  solitary  individuals  to  12. 
The  ratio  of  males  to  females  (Table  4)  approximates  ratios  recorded  in  the 
southern  zone  in  November  1982  (Table  3)  and  the  pastoral  zone  in  October 
1971  (Elliott,  Wehausen  and  Barrett,  unpubl.  data).  The  ratio  of  32  fawns:  100 
females  is  similar  to  our  observations  in  the  southern  zone  in  November  1980 
and  1981  (Table  3).  A  ratio  of  64  fawns:  100  does  was  recorded  in  January  and 
February  1981  over  a  smaller  portion  of  the  pastoral  zone  (Thompson,  unpub. 
data).  Composition  counts  made  in  the  north  coast  range  of  California  in  mid- 
December  are  likely  to  be  representative  of  the  population  ( Dasmann  and  Taber 
1956,  Taber  and  Dasmann  1958). 


FALLOW  AND  BLACK-TAILED  DEER  CENSUS  57 


TABLE  4.     Sex  and  Age  Composition  of  Black-tailed  Deer  in  the  Pastoral  Zone  (n  =  195)  of 
Point  Reyes  National  Seashore  in  1980.  Percent  given  in  parentheses. 

5ex  and  age  class 


Males:  Females:  Fawns  Males:  100  Females:         Fawns 

30     (15)  125     (64)  40     (21)  24     :  100     :  32 

Density  Estimates 

Southern  Zone 

Insufficient  observations  were  made  of  fallow  deer  in  either  the  coastal  scrub 
or  forest  habitats  in  1980  to  calculate  densities.  Counts  in  1981  and  1982  were 
made  in  areas  likely  being  avoided  by  fallow  deer  and  are  not  suitable  for 
analysis.  Thus,  fallow  deer  density  is  calculated  only  for  the  coastal  prairie 
habitat  type  in  1980.  Observations  of  black-tailed  deer  in  the  coastal  prairie  type 
were  judged  to  be  adequate  to  generate  annual  estimates  of  density  in  each  year 
together  with  an  averaged  and  pooled  estimate  for  all  3  years  combined  (Burn- 
ham  et  al.  1981).  Observations  in  the  coastal  scrub  type  were  sufficient  to 
generate  an  estimate  of  density  only  in  1980. 

The  population  estimate  for  fallow  deer  (Table  5)  superficially  approximated 
results  of  a  minimum  total  count  of  523  from  a  helicopter  survey  centered  on 
the  pastoral  lands  in  1977  (Elliott,  unpubl.  data,  Wehausen  and  Elliott  1982). 
However,  density  estimates  derived  from  previous  counts  ranged  between  0.08 
(Wehausen  1973)  and  0.07  (Elliott,  unpubl.  data)  deer/ ha  in  contrast  to  the 
estimate  of  0.20  deer/ ha  from  this  study.  The  lower  limit  of  the  90%  confidence 
interval  approximated  these  earlier  estimates,  as  did  an  estimate  derived  by 
simply  using  the  total  number  of  fallow  deer  sighted  in  prairie  in  1980.  We 
suggest  that  these  differences  resulted  more  from  different  methods  of  sampling 
and  data  analysis  than  from  real  shifts  in  population  density.  Densities  of  three 
fallow  deer  populations  in  England  ranged  from  0.38  to  6.00  animals/ha  (Bailey 
and  Putman  1981). 

TABLE  5.  Fourier  Series  Estimate  of  Fallow  Deer  Density  (N/ha)  and  Numbers  in  the 
Coastal  Prairie  Habitat  Type,  Southern  Zone,  Point  Reyes  National  Seashore,  in 
1980. 

Deer  groups/ha Deer/ha Population         90%  Confidence 

Density  5.  F.  Density  S.  F.  estimate  interval 

0.0549  0.0189  0.203  0.075  543  205-881 

The  three  annual  estimates  of  black-tailed  deer  density  in  the  prairie  section 
of  the  southern  zone  showed  remarkable  consistency  among  years  (Table  6). 
Although  the  estimate  of  deer  group  density  was  greatest  in  1981,  the  estimate 
of  population  density  was  not  as  high,  because  mean  group  size  was  relatively 
small  that  year  (Table  1 ).  Considerable  reduction  of  the  standard  error  of  the 
density  estimate  was  achieved  by  averaging  or  pooling  the  three  separate  esti- 
mates. The  ability  to  average  or  pool  samples  gathered  over  time  permits  in- 
creased precision  in  density  estimates  as  monitoring  continues.  More  precise 
estimates  may  detect  long-term  shifts  in  population  densities  obscured  by  high 
variance  in  individual  samples. 


58  CALIFORNIA  FISH  AND  CAME 


TABLE  6.  Annual,  Weighted  Averaged  and  Pooled  Fourier  Series  Estimates  of  Black-tailed 
Deer  Density  (N/ha)  and  Numbers  in  the  Coastal  Prairie  Habitat  Type,  Southern 
Zone,  Point  Reyes  National  Seashore,  in  1980,  1981  and  1982. 

90% 
Deer  groups/ha  Deer/ha  Population     Confidence 

Year  Density  S.  E.  Density  S.  E.  estimate         interval 

1980 0.0626  0.01125  0.127  0.0260  340  249-431 

1981 0.0798  0.01598  0.138  0.0380  370  237-503 

1982 0.0691  0.01545  0.142  0.0346  380  259-501 

Weighted  Averaged 0.0753  0.00501  0.145  0.0126  388  344-^32 

Pooled 0.0744  0.00504  0.144  0.0126  385  341^129 

Selection  of  the  exponential  polynomial  estimator  in  the  coastal  scrub  type 
(Table  7)  suggests  movement  of  black-tailed  deer  away  from  the  observers  prior 
to  detection.  It  may  reflect  greater  difficulty  in  detecting  black-tailed  deer  in  the 
denser  vegetation. 

TABLE  7.  Exponential  Polynomial  Estimate  of  Density  (N/ha)  and  Population  Size  of  Black- 
tailed  Deer  in  Coastal  Scrub,  Southern  Zone,  Point  Reyes  National  Seashore,  1981. 


Deer  groups  /ha 

Deer/ha 

Population 

estimate 

324 

90%  Confidence 

Density                             S.  E. 
0.0612                              0.0207 

Density                   S.  E. 
0.094                    0.033 

interval 

127-521 

Sample  area  counts  (Taber  and  Dasmann  1955)  of  black-tailed  deer  on  select 
sites  within  the  Seashore's  southern  zone  yielded  density  estimates  of  0.06-0.17 
deer/ha  (Elliott  1982). 

The  length  of  transect  line  required  to  obtain  future  estimates  of  fallow  and 
black-tailed  deer  densities  with  a  confidence  interval  of  20%  in  coastal  prairie 
are  identical  (Table  8).  A  comparable  estimate  for  fallow  deer  in  coastal  scrub 
habitat  type  requires  approximately  twice  the  sampling  effort  while  a  compara- 
ble estimate  for  black-tailed  deer  in  coastal  scrub  requires  approximately  four 
times  the  sampling  intensity.  This  is  not  to  imply  that  a  specific  number  of 
transects  need  be  established.  Fewer  transects  may  be  permanently  marked  and 
sampled  an  appropriate  number  of  times. 

TABLE  8.  Calculated  Length  (km)  of  Transect  Line  Required  to  Obtain  Estimates  of  Popula- 
tion Density  with  a  Coefficient  of  Variation  of  20  percent  or  Less  for  Fallow  and 
Black-tailed  Deer  by  Habitat  Types. 

Deer  species 


Habitat  type  Fallow  Black- tailed 

Coastal  prairie 43                                  43 

Coastal  scrub  83                               150 

Mosaic -                                  42 

TABLE  9.     Fourier  Series  Estimate  of  Density  (N/ha)  and  Population  Size  of  Black-tailed 
Deer  in  the  Pastoral  Zone,  Point  Reyes  National  Seashore,  1980. 

Deer  groups/ha  Deer/ha Population  90%  Confidence 

Density  S.E.  Density  S.E.  estimate  interval 

0.0583  0.0143  0.2069  0.0555  1790  826-2753 

The  exponential  power  series  provided  the  best  fit  to  the  data,  suggesting 
some  movement  of  deer  away  from  the  transect  line  prior  to  detection  by  the 
census  team.  The  estimate  of  black-tailed  deer  density  (Table  9)  in  the  pastoral 


FALLOW  AND  BLACK-TAILED  DEER  CENSUS  59 

zone  is  higher  than  those  derived  for  the  southern  zone.  Similarly,  this  density 
estimate  is  higher  than  estimates  of  black-tailed  deer  density  in  a  select  portion 
of  the  pastoral  zone  obtained  by  drive  counts  (Elliott,  Wehausen  and  Barrett, 
unpubl.  data)  or  sample  area  counts  (Elliott  1982:131).  Thompson  (unpubl. 
data)  found  that  the  widely  scattered  distribution  of  black-tailed  deer  made 
sample  area  counts  difficult. 

CONCLUSIONS 

The  results  demonstrate  the  value  of  line  transect  censuses  and  analysis  by 
program  TRANSECT  in  estimating  population  density  and  monitoring  long  term 
shifts  in  density. 

Estimates  of  density  and  age  and  sex  structure  of  fallow  and  black-tailed  deer 
generated  from  line  transect  sampling  on  portions  of  the  Point  Reyes  Peninsula 
suggest  higher  densities  of  both  species  than  previously  recorded.  We  attribute 
these  higher  estimates  to  differences  in  sampling  procedures  and  data  analysis 
rather  than  true  shifts  in  population  density.  In  particular,  modeling  of  perpen- 
dicular detection  functions  by  program  TRANSECT  provides  a  more  realistic 
assessment  of  the  abundance  of  target  species.  Such  an  assessment  is  a  step  in 
countering  the  almost  universal  tendency  to  underestimate  population  densities. 

We  recognize  both  sets  of  line  transects  rely  heavily  on  the  location  of  existing 
roads  and  trails  in  their  design.  Such  counts  may  be  biased,  as  roads  may  be 
constructed  through  habitats  selected  or  avoided  by  the  species  in  question 
(Norton-Griffiths  1978). Proposed  modifications  of  census  procedures  present- 
ed under  recommendations  provide  an  opportunity  to  reduce  the  difficulties 
encountered  in  this  preliminary  study. 

RECOMMENDATIONS 

The  recommended  procedure  for  estimating  numbers  of  fallow  and  black- 
tailed  deer  on  the  Point  Reyes  Peninsula  is  as  follows: 

(i)  Census  both  species  throughout  their  total  known  range  on  the  Point 
Reyes  Peninsula  to  reduce  the  possibility  of  shifts  in  distribution  affecting  census 
results. 

( ii )  Distribute  permanently  marked  transect  lines  randomly  and  independent- 
ly within  prairie  and  scrub  habitat  types  over  the  total  area.  Transects  should  be 
located  independently  of  roads  and  major  trails  to  the  extent  feasible.  Sampling 
intensity  should  be  at  the  level  calculated  from  our  pilot  surveys. 

( iii )  Establish  an  index  of  abundance  for  each  species  in  all  habitat  types  and 
determine  the  linearity  of  the  relationship.  Comparison  of  the  index  between 
habitat  types  with  density  estimates  to  those  with  no  density  estimates  may 
provide  an  approximation  of  density  in  the  latter. 

(iv)  Evaluate  the  potential  of  obtaining  population  estimates  from  change-in- 
ratio  estimators  (Hanson  1963,  Paulik  and  Robson  1969).  Values  of  interest 
include  the  ratio  of  fallow  to  black-tailed  deer  and  the  ratio  of  age  classes,  sexes 
or  color  phases  of  fallow  deer  prior  to  and  subsequent  to  the  annual  reduction 
program.  Records  must  be  kept  on  the  age,  sex,  and  color  phase  of  shot  deer. 
Estimates  could  be  derived  from  observations  made  while  walking  the  line 
transects  discussed  above.  Bias  may  occur  if  a  certain  age  or  sex  class  of  the 
population  becomes  more  wary  than  others  or  if  fallow  deer  become  more 
secretive  than  black-tailed  deer. 


60  CALIFORNIA  FISH  AND  CAME 

(v)  Count  fallow  deer  from  a  helicopter  or  fixed-wing  aircraft.  Results  of 
aerial  counts  could  be  compared  to  concurrent  line  transect  ground  counts. 
Aerial  counts  should  be  done  along  permanent  transects  from  an  aircraft  fitted 
with  sophisticated  navigation  equipment  and  radar  altimeter  to  ensure  the  data 
acquired  benefit  from  analysis  by  program  TRANSECT.  We  do  not  suggest  a 
double  sampling  design  using  line  transects.  The  greatest  advantage  of  an  aerial 
census  is  the  complete  independence  of  location  of  transects  from  roads  and 
trails,  or  topographic  and  vegetative  features  likely  to  influence  locating  ground 
transects.  It  is  unlikely  that  black-tailed  deer  will  be  consistently  detectable  from 
an  aircraft. 

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS 

This  report  represents  the  combined  efforts  of  a  great  number  of  people.  K. 
Rogers  and  P.  Sugnet  surveyed  trails,  delineated  habitat  boundaries  and  selected 
transect  locations  in  the  south.  A.  Soost  and  J.  Hartley  re-marked  transects  in 
1 981 .  Seashore  staff  and  volunteers  covered  many  kilometers  of  trails  conducting 
the  censuses.  M.  Raphael  assisted  with  analyses  involving  program  TRANSECT. 
J.  Verner  and  B.  Noon  offered  constructive  review  of  the  manuscript.  The  senior 
author  was  supported  by  a  fellowship  from  the  Rob  and  Bessie  Welder  Wildlife 
Foundation  during  portions  of  this  study.  Additional  support  was  provided  by 
Project  3501 -MS  of  the  California  Agricultural  Experiment  Station. 

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Taber,  R.  D.,  and  R.  F.  Dasmann.  1958.  The  black-tailed  deer  of  the  Chapparal:  its  life  history  and  management 
in  the  North  Coast  Range  of  California.  Calif.  Dept.  Fish  and  Game,  Game  Bull.  (8):1-163. 

Van  Atta,  C.  E.  1946.  Notes  on  the  former  presence  of  grizzly  and  black  bears  in  Marin  County,  California.  Calif. 
Fish  Game,  32(8):27-29. 

Wehausen,  J.  D.  1973.  Some  aspects  of  the  natural  history  and  ecology  of  fallow  deer  on  Point  Reyes  Peninsula. 
Thesis,  Univ.  of  California,  Davis.  68  p. 

,  and  H.  W.  Elliott  III.  1982.  Range  relationships  and  demography  of  fallow  and  axis  deer  on  Point  Reyes 

National  Seashore.  Calif.  Fish  Game,  68(3):132-145. 

Zar,  ).  H.  1974.  Biostatistical  Analysis.  Prentice-Hall,  Inc.,  Englewood  Cliffs,  N).  620  p. 


62  CALIFORNIA  FISH  AND  GAME 

Calif.  Fish  and  Came  72(1):  62-64     1 986 

NOTES 

UTILIZATION  BY  SALT  MARSH  HARVEST  MICE 

REITHRODONTOMYS  RAVIVENTRIS  HALICOETES  OF  A 

NON-PICKLEWEED  MARSH 

Management  plans  for  private  duck  clubs  in  Suisun  Marsh  and  a  recovery  plan 
for  the  endangered  salt  marsh  harvest  mouse  are  being  developed  based  upon 
assumptions  that  those  mice  require  pickleweed,  Salicornia  pacifica,  dominated 
habitats.  The  presence  of  pickleweed  as  the  dominant  plant  species  in  the  marsh 
has  been  described  for  salt  marsh  harvest  mice  (Fisler  1965,  Shellhammer  1977, 
Shellhammer  et  al.  1982)  and  has  been  considered  the  necessary  component  of 
optimal  habitat  ( Wondolleck,  Zolan  and  Stevens  1976).  Australian  saltbush, 
Atriplex  semibaccata,  fat  hen,  A.  patula,  gum  plant,  Crindelia  cunifolia,  and 
cordgrass,  Spartina  foliosa,  also  regularly  occur  in  lesser  amounts  in  typical 
optimal  marsh  habitat.  The  importance  of  a  dense  mat  of  cover  and  network  of 
open  areas  for  salt  marsh  harvest  mice  has  also  been  reported  (Dixon  1909, 
Hooper  1944,  Wondolleck  et  al.  1976,  Shellhammer  1977). 

In  May  1981,  during  rodent  trapping  surveys  on  the  California  Department  of 
Fish  and  Came  Hill  Slough  Wildlife  Area  (eight  kilometers  southeast  of  Fairfield, 
Solano  County,  California),  eleven  harvest  mice  were  captured  and  released 
during  300  trap  nights  of  effort.  The  mice  were  identified  as  salt  marsh  harvest 
mice  using  a  combination  of  external  measurements,  color  patterns  and  behav- 
ior, assigned  on  a  point  system  (Shellhammer  1984).  The  area  appeared  to 
contain  no  pickleweed  and  consisted  of  ten  hectares  isolated  on  three  sides  by 
large  slough  channels  with  a  paved  road  on  the  fourth  side.  The  area  has  been 
diked  off  from  brackish  water  inundation  during  high  tides  for  approximately  50 
years,  although  it  retains  some  standing  water  for  approximately  four  months 
during  the  winter  in  years  of  high  precipitation. 

As  a  result  of  the  discovery  of  salt  marsh  harvest  mice  on  the  area,  a  vegetation 
transect  of  the  ten  hectare  site  was  conducted.  A  representative  cross-section 
of  the  site  was  taken  using  the  toe-point  method.  The  vegetative  transect  re- 
vealed the  following:  fat  hen  45  percent,  salt  grass,  Distichlis  spicata,  14  percent, 
annual  grasses,  13  percent,  baltic  rush,  Juncus  balticus,  10  percent  and  alkali 
heath,  Frankinia  grandiflora,  9  percent.  Several  other  plant  species  occurred  on 
the  site,  including  pickleweed,  but  each  constituted  less  than  one  percent  of  the 
total  vegetative  cover.  Fat  hen  was  quite  dense  and  provided  excellent  cover  for 
the  mice.  This  is  the  second  report  where  salt  marsh  harvest  mice  were  found 
to  inhabit  an  area  not  dominted  by  pickleweed  and  the  first  for  the  northern 
subspecies.  Rice  (1974),  found  areas  containing  fat  hen  were  actually  preferred, 
while  areas  containing  pickleweed  were  avoided  by  the  southern  subspecies  of 
the  salt  marsh  harvest  mouse,  R.  r.  raviventris.  Zetterquist  (1977)  in  her  work 
in  the  south  San  Francisco  Bay  concluded  that  her  findings  invalidated  the  idea 
that  R.  r.  raviventris  occurs  only  in  tidal  salt  marshes  and  that  marginal  areas 
should  be  preserved  in  present  condition  or  expanded. 

This  report  is  in  accord  with  Rice's  1974  work  and  expands  upon  Shellham- 
mer's  1982  findings.  Further  sampling  and  study  are  necessary  to  determine  the 
extent  and  intensity  of  use  in  such  areas  by  salt  marsh  harvest  mice.  Additional 


NOTES  63 

findings  may  shed  more  light  on  the  biology  of  the  salt  marsh  harvest  mouse  and 
have  a  bearing  on  management  programs  being  developed  to  ensure  the  con- 
tinued survival  of  this  animal.  Additional  "marginal"  areas  should  be  examined. 
No  changes  in  current  management  practices  affecting  the  salt  marsh  harvest 
mouse  are  justified  at  this  time.  However,  these  findings  indicate  marginal  areas 
may  be  important  to  salt  marsh  harvest  mice  and  such  areas  should  not  be 
written  off  to  development  without  investigation. 

LITERATURE  CITED 

Dixon  ).  1909.  A  new  harvest  mouse  from  Petaluma,  California.  Univ.  Calif.  Publ.  Zool.,  5  :  271-273. 

Fisler,  C.T.  1965.  Adaptations  and  speciation  in  harvest  mice  of  the  marshes  of  San  Francisco  Bay.  Univ.  Calif.  Publ. 

Zool.,  77:  1-108. 
Hooper,  E.T.  1944.  San  Francisco  Bay  as  a  factor  influencing  speciation  in  rodents.  Misc.  Publ.,  Mus.  Zool.,  Univ. 

Mich.  59:  1-89. 
Rice,  V.C.  1974.  The  population  ecology  of  the  salt  marsh  harvest  mouse  at  Triangle  Marsh.  Thesis.  San  Jose  State 

Univ. 
Shellhammer,  H.  1977.  Of  mice  and  marshes.  San  )ose  Studies.,  3(1):  23-25. 
1984.  Identification  of  salt  marsh  harvest  mice,  Reithrodontomys  raviventris,  in  the  field  and  with  cranial 

characteristics.  Calif.  Fish  Came,  70(2):  113-120. 
,  R.  jackson,  W.  Davilla,  A.  Gilroy,  H.T.  Harvey  and  L.  Simons.  1982.  Habitat  preferences  of  salt  marsh 


harvest  mice  (Reithrodontomys  raviventris).  Washmann  ).  Biol.,  40(1-2):  102-114. 

Wondolleck,  ).T„  W.  Zolan,  and  G.L  Stevens.  1976.  A  population  study  of  the  harvest  mouse  (Reithrodontomys 
raviventris  Dixon)  in  the  Palo  Alto  Baylands  salt  marsh.  Wasmann  ).  Biol.,  34(1):  52-64. 

Zetterquist,  D.K.  1977.  The  salt  marsh  harvest  mouse  (Reithrodontomys  raviventris  raviventris)  in  marginal  habi- 
tats. Wasmann  ).  Biol.,  35(1):  68-76. 

— Fred  Botti,  Dee  Warenycia  and  Dennis  Becker,  California  Department  of  Fish 
and  Game,  Region  III,  P.  O.  Box  47,  Yountville,  California  94599.  Accepted  for 
publication  December  1984. 

A  METHOD  FOR  THE  EFFICIENT  REMOVAL  OF  JUVENILE 

SALMONID  OTOLITHS 

During  1981  and  1982,  juvenile  steelhead  rainbow  trout,  Salmo  gairdneri 
Richardson,  were  collected  from  three  northern  California  watersheds  for  a 
California  Department  of  Fish  and  Game  funded  study  on  the  racial  analysis  of 
juvenile  summer  and  winter  steelhead  and  resident  rainbow  trout  (Winter 
1 983 ) .  The  fish  were  frozen  for  later  removal  and  analysis  of  otoliths  and  otolith 
nuclei  as  described  by  several  authors  (Kim  1963;  McKern,  Horton,  and  Koski 
1 974;  Rybock,  Horton,  and  Fessler  1 975 ) .  Three  pairs  of  otoliths  are  found  in  the 
inner  ear  of  steelhead  but  only  the  largest  pair,  the  sagittae,  are  used  for  age  and 
racial  studies  so  use  of  the  term  "otolith"  refers  to  the  sagittae. 

I  soon  discovered  that  the  typical  method  of  otolith  removal,  splitting  the 
head,  was  inadequate  for  thawed  young-of-year  steelhead  since  even  razor 
blades  would  mash  the  head  before  the  blades  would  cut.  McKern  and  Horton 
(1970)  described  a  punch  that  expedited  removal  of  otoliths  from  larger  steel- 
head. However,  a  punch  delicate  enough  for  use  on  young-of-year  fish  was  not 
feasible.  A  method  of  otolith  removal  that  did  not  result  in  mashed  heads  or  the 
loss  of  otoliths  by  having  to  probe  for  the  granular  otoliths  was  developed. 

The  otoliths  were  obtained  from  the  fish  by  first  removing  the  lower  jaw  and 
all  of  the  gill  rakers  to  expose  the  neurocranium.  For  young-of-year  fish,  the 
otoliths  were  visible  through  the  semi-transparent  walls  of  the  neurocranium  and 
were  easily  removed  by  puncturing  the  walls  with  No.  5,  fine-tipped  forceps  and 


64 


CALIFORNIA  FISH  AND  GAME 


pulling  out  the  otoliths.  For  yearling  and  older  fish,  the  neurocranium  is  opaque 
and  prevents  visual  location  of  the  otoliths.  In  these  cases,  a  probe  was  forced 
through  the  neurocranium  directly  anterior  to  the  area  containing  the  otoliths 
( Figure  1 ) .  The  fish  were  then  grabbed  between  thumb  and  forefinger  on  either 
side  of  the  incision  and  bent  backwards,  thereby  rupturing  the  neurocranial 
cavity.  The  otoliths  were  then  clearly  visible  in  the  posterior  portion  of  the 
neurocranium  and  were  removed  with  fine-tipped  forceps.  The  sacculus,  the 
membranous  sac  surrounding  each  sagitta,  was  removed  by  rubbing  each  otolith 
between  thumb  and  forefinger  and  the  otoliths  placed  in  water  filled  glass  vials 
for  storage.  This  procedure  was  also  used  on  several  adult  steelhead  with  success 
but  heavy  scissors  or  wire  cutters  are  recommended  for  cutting  away  the  lower 
jaw. 


Right 
Otolith 


FIGURE   1. 


Incision 
Point 

Left 
Otolith 

Ventral  view  of  a  young-of-year  steelhead  rainbow  trout  with  lower  jaw  and  gill  rakers 
removed,  showing  location  of  otoliths  and  neurocranium  incision  point. 


LITERATURE  CITED 

Kim,  W.S.  1963.     On  the  use  of  otoliths  of  red  salmon  for  age  and  racial  studies.  Thesis.  Univ.  of  Washington, 
Seattle,  WA 

McKern,  |.L,  and  H.F.  Horton.  1970.     A  punch  to  facilitate  the  removal  of  salmonid  otoliths.  Calif.  Fish  Came, 

56(l):65-68. 
McKern,  J.L.,  H.F.  Horton,  and  K.V.  Koski.  1974.     Development  of  steelhead  trout  (Salmo  gairdneri)  otoliths  and 

their  use  for  age  analysis  and  for  separating  summer  from  winter  races  and  wild  from  hatchery  stocks.  Can., 

Fish.  Res.  Bd.,  ).,  31:1420-1426. 
Rybock,  J.T.,  H.F.  Horton,  and  ).L.  Fessler.  1975.     Use  of  otoliths  to  separate  juvenile  steelhead  trout  from  juvenile 

rainbow  trout.  Fish.  Bull.,  73(31:654-659. 

Winter,  B.D.  1983.     Racial  analysis  of  juvenile  summer  and  winter  steelhead  and  resident  rainbow  trout  [Salmo 
gairdneri  Richardson)  from  three  northern  California  watersheds.  Thesis.  Humboldt  State  Univ.,  Areata,  CA. 

— Brian  D.  Winter,  Fisheries  Resource  Management,  Nez  Perce  Tribe,  P.O.  Box 
365,  La^wai,  ID  83540.  The  work  reported  was  done  as  part  of  a  Master's 
thesis  at  Humboldt  State  University.  Accepted  for  publication  March  1985. 


Photoelectronic  composition  by 

•   \\  II  HUSH  IHTM  I   111   m  mi    niivriM. 


so— NOTfvS 


KIHXXIT 


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